School readiness program being cut back due to lack of funding

By Tina Comeau

THE VANGUARD

NovaNewsNow.com

Because it hasn’t received the funding it needs, Parents Place is looking at having to scale back its Ready Set Go program – a program offered during the summer to help make the transition easier for children entering Grade Primary in fall.

Parents Place has received enough grant funding to hire three student teachers, but it needs six to offer Ready Set Go at the same level as past years.

Otherwise children in the program will spend less time preparing for school – one week, as opposed to two weeks at each school site.

Parents Place executive director Annette Deveau says this is shame, particularly since school readiness is even more important given the province’s change in the school entry date. Children who turn five on or before Dec. 31 can register for school.

“So you’re going to have primary teachers with a lot of younger children, as well as probably increased enrolment,” Deveau says. “This is a crucial year for additional support and unfortunately this is the year that our program will be cut back.”

And time is running out to secure funding.

“We are under a time crunch,” Deveau says. “We need to post the positions within the next three weeks so we need to sustain the funding for those additional positions…we would be looking at three additional salaries.”

Ready Set Go has been operating for nine years. Since it’s introduction it has expanded and is offered at seven Yarmouth County schools: Central, South Centennial, Meadowfields, Drumlin, Arcadia, Port Maitland and Plymouth. An average of about 150 children register each summer.

The program helps children to become accustomed to the school-day routine – from the new foreign sounds like the school bell and the fire alarm, to where they hang their coats, to how they line up and behave in the classroom, to where they’ll find the washrooms and playground. The program also brings in groups – like the RCMP and fire department – to talk about safety.

“We do provide a lot of the educational pieces as well to try to prepare them for school, but mainly our focus has been on the social skills and getting used to the routine,” Deveau says. “We can cram as much education as we can in a week, but for them to actually get used to routines it takes time.”

By only being able to offer the program for one week at each site, Deveau says the children will have less time to prepare.

“They’re going to have a sense of what to expect, but I don’t feel that they’re really going to be comfortable in the school setting with only a week,” she says.

As a non-profit organization, Parents Place does not charge families a fee to attend Ready Set Go, although it does accept donations. Deveau says charging a fee would go against their philosophy of offering programs that are accessible to everyone.

The school board does not provide funding to the program, but it does provide space in its schools during the summer months, as well as janitorial services.

The program has also received support from local businesses over the years, although it would always welcome more.

In addition to preparing children for their schooling, the program also provides summer student employment. Deveau adds they also get great feedback from teachers.

She says it’s a very valuable program.

“It just makes the adjustment for the children a little easier from getting away from mom and dad,” she says. “There is still an adjustment, but it’s an easier one.”

And not only for the children, but for their families too.

Anyone able to offer Parents Place with assistance can contact Deveau at 749-1718 or by email at parentsplaceed@eastlink.ca.