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The Citizen, 1994-03-02, Page 15THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2,1994. PAGE 15. The issue of Junior Kindergarten— Caring for the young Barb Mutter of Brussels is one of the local daycare workers who will be affected by the implementation of Junior Kindergarten at local schools. Mrs. Mutter runs the Brussels Playschool, which is designed for the needs of three and four-year-olds.(Photo from the files of The Citizen) How will it affect day care? By Janice Becker For daycare owners and workers, the implementation of a govern ment program, in January of this year, could mean financial strain or the window to new opportunities. For the parents of young chil dren in Huron County, there is now an option available to them that has been both applauded and de nounced. The provincial government passed legislation in the summer of 1993, requiring all school boards to make Junior Kindergarten available to children who would be four by the term deadline. Beginning in January of 1994, eight public schools offered the program and eight more will follow in September. Barb Mutter of Brussels, runs the Brussels Playschool in the base ment of the town library. The operation is a private busi ness which is designed for three and four-year-olds. Mrs. Mutter says she lost four students in January; three to Grey Central PS and one to Walton PS. "Daycare centres and nursery schools must have an eight to one, student to teacher ratio so I was able to employ an assistant and pro vide space for 16 children. With the loss of four in January it is hard to justify the extra staff," she says. "I don't know yet if it will be fea sible to keep the playschool going but, I will try." Mrs. Mutter says with the Huron County Board of Education allow ing two start dates, January and September, there will be added dif ficulties because she will be unable to plan staffing for the class size with children leaving in the middle of the school year. She also has several concerns about the quality of schooling that can be given to the JK students. "The ages in one class could range from 3.8 to six," she says. "Children at this age have very different needs and with a student to teacher ratio of 20 or 25 to one, the children may not get the atten tion required." Mrs. Mutter says, "Parents must be made aware that JK is not a requirement, though there may be pressure from the community." "Some first time parents may want to try the program because they do not know how the school system works. Parents must consid er whether it will be good for the child and if the child is ready for the situation." Mrs. Mutter is displeased with the way the school board handled the situation. "The board said they would work with us but, they haven't spoken to me about my centre." "Is the board just looking at the money that can be received through the grants and are they making information available to affected parents?" she asks. She is concerned about the finan cial considerations as well as the needs of the children. "These grants are coming out of an empty pot. Who are we really helping by starting this program?" she wonders. "A curriculum must be set up for the JK and SK students and the board must follow through with its commitment to the program to give it value." Louise Sygrove, Early Years Co ordinator with the Huron County Board of Education says, "Several evening meetings and coffee chats were held to inform the parents about the new program." "There was a good response and good attendance. Parents were able to talk through their concerns and were told JK is optional." HCBE has decided to go with a combined JK and SK class. "We have visited other boards to see what has worked best for the chil dren," says Ms Sygrove. A separate meeting was held in December in order to discuss the upcoming changes with those in the daycare field. "We are trying to affect the staffing and the finances of daycare facilities as little as possible," she says. "The JK openings are being kept away from the affected centres as much as possible." Paul Carroll, director of the HCBE says, "Talks with the day care centres have gone very well and discussions are ongoing." "The board is working to develop partnerships with the centres to minimize the impact of the changes. These partnerships will be different in every community." "In Hensail, the daycare is mov ing into the school buildine though services will be kept separate," he says. This could make it easier for par ents to arrange care for their chil dren. Jane Lane, supervisor of the Wingham Daycare Centre is also concerned about the implementa tion of JK and the "duplication of existing services." "At present, we have space for 40 children between the ages of 2 1/2 and five; eight of those being for special care children. We are set up to handle the needs of that age group." "Our facility saw little change in attendance in January but there will be more when JK is started in every school, " she says. Wingham PS is not slated to offer JK yet because of space con straints, though the daycare centre is affected by the township schools' enrollment. Ms Lane says. "We must respect the parents' decision to put their children in JK though they should be aware that it is not mandatory. We will make the parents feel comfortable if they wish to use the daycare centre on alternate days." "It is hard to visualize the impact this move could have so we will just have to wait and see." The Wingham Daycare Centre also provides an active rural resource centre and toy lending Capture all those special memories on film Specializing in Wedding Photography Qary Photography 210 Hill Street, Clinton 482-7675 library which is used by 150 fami lies. In an effort to adjust to the changing needs of the community with the JK availability, Ms Lane says the centre is looking at expan sion. ■ "By receiving approval for the toddler age group, which requires a five to one ratio, it may allow us to continue providing services and employment for the community." Sally McNichol of the Clinton Co-operative Childcare Centre says, "Those involved with this facility saw JK coming some years ago and we are already in the pro cess of receiving our license to run a program for the toddlers." "We have had good communica tion with the board of education and they gave us the opportunity to talk about our concerns." "We have also developed a new class for four-year-olds; a school readiness program, which has room for 16 students," she says. "The centre is looking at all options available; changing the focus to continue to meet the needs of our families. There may be some cutbacks in services and a change in the programs because we may see a shift to more half day enroll ment," says Ms McNichol. "If we hadn't believed JK would come, we would not be as prepared as we are. The centre must grow and change with what is happen ing." Another municipally run facility, the Wingham Nursery School is hoping to "ride out the changes." Supervisor Marjorie Batte says the school lost four students in Jan uary with the introduction of JK at Tumberry PS and is concerned enrollment may drop to 16 from 24. "With a ratio of eight to one, this could affect employment," she says. Mr. Carroll says the board has made adjustments to the staffing formula, within the education act, to make it possible for early child hood educators (ECE) to apply for teacher assistant positions in the schools. "Every effort is being made to minimize the impact and delay implementation in areas where there would be significant adverse effects, until the final deadline," says Mr. Carroll. Mrs. Batte says, "Many parents may believe this will ease babysit ting problems but the schools will be offering half day classes or alter nate day classes. Arrangements must still be made for those other times. Parents should not consider peer pressure in their decision." She encourages parents to visit both facilities before making any decision on JK. "The employees of the nursery school have specialized in early childhood education and some have 18 years experience," she says. Mrs. Batte sums up the effect of JK on her school and others in the area by saying, "It is just another challenge for us to survive." 27th Annual Belmore Maple Syrup Festival April 7 & 9 Belmore Communitycentre For more Information call 392-8170