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Home My WebLink AboutTimes Advocate, 1995-11-22, Page 27FIPMEN•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••^T-- 411. COMMUNITY Times -Advocate, November 22,1995 Page 27 Your Views h. Letters to the editor Junior kindergarten educationally sound Teachers know the educational benefits of early school has for children .... Dear Editor: I am writing to you today on an educational issue of great concern for the young children of Ontario, and that issue is the provincial funding for Junior Kindergarten programs. In the Speech from the Throne on September 27, 1995, the Tory gov- ernment announced its intention to make Junior Kindergarten programs optional. This month the government is deciding what funding, if any, they will provide for these programs. Junior Kindergarten is an educational program for four year-olds. It is educationally and fiscally beneficial for the children of Huron County. Across Ontario there are over 110,000 children in Junior Kindergarten. There is double the 55,000 children who were in Junior Kindergarten in 1985. Parents arc supporting this educational program by sending their children. They know that four -year-olds have a tremendous capacity to learn. The growth in the language skills of children in Junior Kindergart- en is dramatic. Teachers know the educational benefits that early school has for chil- dren in terms of future success iu literacy and numeracy as well as sociali- zation skills. Teachers can see and hear that children who come into the programs in September who have difficulty articulating their thoughts make amazing strides in their capacity to communicate by Hallowe'en. Junior Kindergarten is not only educationally sound, it is also fiscally responsible The Perry Preschool Project study is a longitudinal study which has tracked the progress of students who entered the system at four years of age in 1962. By the time these students were 24 years old, every dollar spent on their program at four years of age had saved seven dollars in education, health, social services, and the justice system when•com- parcd with their peers who had not had the early start. While these results are not immediate, they are real and the impact on the whole of society cannot be ignored. Unless provincial funding is available, past experience in Ontario has shown that many school hoards will be unable to finance the program. (That is especially true here in grant -poor Boards like Huron. Junior Kin- dergarten will not be offered where it is needed most, thus undermining its effect on future opportunities for their children. I would urge everyone to communicate to Premier Mike Harris, Ernie Eves the Minister of Finance, and John Snobelen the Minster of Educa- tion and Training support for Junior Kindergarten programs and the ap- propriate provincial funding to ensure the future of our children and our province. W. Laurie President, HWTA Community action program for children needs assistance Being a patent mentor means being a trusted lis- tener, a guide to parenting resources... Dear Editor: Experienced parents who have four hours a week to give are needed in Exeter. Think back to your time as a parent of a baby or toddler. Was there someone whose adult face and presence was a relief after hours spent in the presence of children? Remember how much a cup of coffee with a friend relaxed you and sent you back to battlefields of parenting refreshed and invigorated. Within the Exeter community are a number of parents who don't have close friends or family to turn to, to ask questions of or to listen to the challenges and rewards that occur on a daily basis while pa- renting young children. The Parent Mentor program of the Rural Response for Healthy Children matches parents of young children with experienced parents. Being a par- ent mentor means being a trusted listener, a guide to parenting resources, a friend. Sometimes a friendly adult face and kind ear are all that is needed to put a positive outlook on a challenging day with toddlers. Parent men- tors are supported by ongoing training and access to a variety of resources to help them help other parents. If the parents are coping well, then so are the children. We underestimate the impact that a good role model has on our actions and decisions. By helping a parent see the humor in a two year old's temper tantrum, we help them cope. If you owe your survival as a parent to someone who took you under their wing and helped you through the maze of parenting young children, return the favor. I hope the parents of Exeter will rally to this call for sup- port. Your time, experience and presence will make a difference to the happiness and well-being of a family in your community. If you are inter- ested in the Parent Mentor program, call Jodi or Shelley at 1-800-479- 0716 for more information. Thank you for your time and consideration as you read this letter. Jodi Jerome Parent Support Councillor for the Rural Response for Healthy Children. Vehicle rolls injuring six passengers USBORNE TOWNSHIP - Six passengers received minor injuries Wednesday morning when the driver of the van they were riding in lost control on Hwy. 83, left the slushy road and flipped over. Injured were Brent Urlin, Todd Redegeld and Scott McDonald, all of Exeter, Cory Dulemba, of RR 1 Centralia, Chris Keyser, of Crediton and David Robinson, of Huron Park. The van, driven by Trevor Obre, of Exeter. was severely damaged. NOTICE RESIDENTS OF HAY TOWNSHIP The Township Office will be moving to their new location, next door on, Friday, November 24th, 1995. Open for business, Monday, November 27th, 1995. The Lambton Heritage Mw sewn conducted their third annual Country Christmas Home Tour on Saturday ' and Sunday. Five homes in Southcott Pines and Huron Woods were selected for decoration by various de- sign teams. Country Flowers in Exeter decorated the home of Lin- da and Joe Wooden on the comer of Pines Parkway and Christie South. At left Pale yellows, gold and whites are used to set the mood in the living room adomed with natural greens, pine cones, .vanilla candles and babies breath. The kitchen was the focus of, this bright red and green ar- rangement of Christmas boughs, pottery, candles and cook- books set on a checkered table cloth. Hunter-Duvar Auto Body 284-2888 st. Marys VILLAGE OF HENSALL CLASS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT UPGRADING AND EXPANSION OF SEWAGE TREATMENT WORKS NOTICE OF PUBUC MEETING The Village has been evaluating altemative ways to expand the sewage treatment facility to service existing and future development. At this time, the Village is considering converting the existing conventional lagoon system to a system known as the New Hamburg process. This involves the use of slow sand filters to improve final effluent quality prior to discharge. This project is being planned as a Schedule "C" project under the Class Environmental Assessment for Municipal Water and Wastewater Projects, June 1993. A Public Information session is planned to provide further information to the public on the proposal and to receive input and comment from interested persons. DATE: Monday, December 11, 1995 TIME: 7:30 p.m. PLACE: Village of Hensall, Council Chambers, 108 King Street, Hensall, Ontario The Village's Consulting Engineers will present the results of investigations that have been carried out and outline the recommended alternative. Following this information meeting, further comments are invited for incorporation into the planning and design of this project and will be received until January 5, 1996. For further information, please contact: B.M. Ross and Associates Limited Consulting Engineers 62 North Street, Goderich, Ontario N7A 2T4 Phone: (519) 524-2641 (call collect) Fax: (519) 524-4403 Att'n: Matt Pearson, Environmental Planner Subject to comments received as a result of this Notice, and the public meeting, the Village plans to instruct the Consultants to proceed with the planning for this project and an Environmental Study Report will be prepared and placed on the public record. This Notice issued November 22, 1995 1�. Reeve Cecil Pepper Village of Hensall� "People thought we were foolish to go oil. .. but vire proved them wrong" THE SPIRE FAMILY, DASHWOOD When the natural gas line came through, people thought the Stire family was crazy to heat with oil. They now heat their 1800 so. n. RAISED RANCH 1 with 6 people living in it for BOO PER MONTH ON BUDGET PAYMENTS NOTHING CRAZY ABOUT THAT! Compared to all other heating alternatives ... OIL is SIMPLY THE BEST! ea Clean lea Economical to Reliable ea Modern leaSafe - "safest" says Ont. Fire Marshall ea Efficient - up to 95% ASK US TO SHOW YOU ALL THE FACTS, TODAY! WHEN THE HEAT IS ON ... OIL MAKES CENTS! Call your Fuel Oil Dealer today for all the answers