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Volume 43 No. 18
December 2, 2014
A hot start to the holiday season ‘The Pyroneer’ from Zero Gravity Circus performs at the Danforth East Community Association’s third annual Festival of Lights on Saturday, Nov. 29. Families filled East Lynn Park for the festival, taking in hot chocolate, performances by the Pegasus Studio dancers and the East End Music Project choir before gathering for the first tree lighting of the season. PHOTO: ANDREW HUDSON
Full-day kindergarten impacts day cares INSIDE By Andrew Hudson
JUNE HALL has seen plenty of changes to childcare during her 26 years at Main Square Day Care Centre. Hall remembers what some of her staff were like as toddlers under her care. But nothing compares with the changes this fall, when the last wave of full-day kindergarten classes opened at a dozen public and Catholic schools across Ward 32. “The transition this September has been huge, huge for everybody,” said Hall. “If you didn’t have a little nest egg saved up, you were sweating.” Last week, Beach Metro News spoke with managers at six of the 33 licensed childcare centres in Ward 32. While their programs vary, many are struggling with the loss of 4- and 5-year-olds who now attend Ontario’s full-day kindergarten program. Nearly everyone agrees it is now more difficult to hire Early Childhood Educators and other childcare staff.
At Main Square, the number of children ages 2.5 to 5 has dropped from 24 to 16. Two years ago, Hall started expanding Main Square’s toddler program to compensate, but even so she said the non-profit is facing lost revenue because toddlers require more staff and new equipment, such as strollers. “Childcare centres are being faced with providing care for the most expensive age group,” said Hall. At Balmy Beach Community Daycare Centre, Marlene Bunt said she needs to enrol twice as many pre-kindergarten children as usual. “It’s leaving a big gap,” said Bunt, explaining that most children in the centre’s pre-K program happen to be almost kindergarten age. For the first time in 20 years, Balmy Beach has no waiting list for that age group. Bunt said she would like to expand the toddler program, but there is no space to do it at Balmy Beach Community School, where the program is housed. The centre may expand its catchment area,
Bunt said, but acknowledged that several centres are now competing to enrol the same children. “You have to be really on the ball with your programming,” she said. At Healthy Earth Bilingual Nursery School, Donna Lynn Watson said the pre-kindergarten remains full, but kindergarten classes were hit quite hard in September. “Now it seems to be coming back,” said Watson. “There are very disappointed parents coming from the public system going, ‘Is there any room in your kindergarten? My child isn’t learning.’” Watson said some parents found the public full-day kindergarten program “chaotic,” with classes of over 30 children and an age range of 3.5 to 6 years old. At Kew Park Montessori, coordinator Carole Cristiano said full-day kindergarten really hasn’t had much effect. Parents come to the school looking specifically for the Montessori program, Cristiano said. Cont’d. on Page 7
Entertainment Beat ...See Pages 16-17
PLUS
Police Beat.....................4 Community Calendar.....10 BMN’s Neighbourhood...11 Deja Views....................12 On the Wild Side............14 Student Views...............15 Beach Books.................18 Beach Arts Scene..........19 Reel Beach...................20 Food and Drink.............22 Life on the Child Side....23 Design & Style Views...24 Environment Views......26
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