Education experts and advocates say they support in principle the Liberals' promise to expand Ontario's kindergarten programs to a full day from a half-day, but are concerned about the potential cost, considering the funding troubles of existing full-day programs.
Most school boards in Northern Ontario already have full-day programs for four-year-olds and five-year-olds and are struggling to pay for them, said Annie Kidder, spokeswoman for the advocacy group People for Education.
"If we have a new policy saying all-day kindergarten … is a good idea, then maybe we should be making sure in the meantime we fund the ones we have," she said.
The Liberals promised to appoint an early learning adviser to figure out how to develop and fund a full-day preschool program starting in 2010 as part of their $14.7-billion election platform released Thursday.
But they provided few other details of the plan.
Expanded early education could greatly benefit Ontario's children, provided it is implemented as a high-quality, well-developed program, said Dr. Jean Clinton, a child psychiatrist, McMaster University professor and spokeswoman for the group Voices for Children.
"They have to be thinking long-term," she said. "If they don't say we're going to do this and do this properly, then we are at risk."
The Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association announced in a news release that it supports the full-day kindergarten "in principle" and says it expects to participate in discussions about the initiative.
The Campaign Against Child Poverty and the Council for Early Childhood Development issued a news release saying they think lowering the age that children begin full-time schooling will help reduce child poverty by allowing mothers to go back to work, and produce other long-term benefits for the children.
"Preschool is when children develop the emotional and social skills needed to succeed in school," the release said.
Meanwhile, opposition parties argued that the Liberals also promised to expand kindergarten to full-time during the 2003 election campaign and never delivered.
Ontario voters will go to the polls on Oct. 10.
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Ontario Votes 2007 »
- McGuinty wins massive majority, Tory loses seat
- Dalton McGuinty won a second majority government for the Liberals in Ontario on Wednesday night, a triumph for a party that earlier expressed fears of a drop to minority status.
- Ontario rejects electoral reform in referendum
- Ontario voters have rejected a proposed electoral reform that would have seen some provincial legislators chosen based on a party's share of the popular vote, results showed Thursday.
- Ontario voter turnout a record low
- The percentage of eligible voters casting ballots in Wednesday's Ontario election hit an all-time low despite changes introduced in an effort to boost turnout.
- Ont. Green party scores 8 per cent of vote
- No Green party candidates made it to the Ontario legislature in Wednesday's election, but that defeat was sweetened by a swell in their share of the popular vote, which more than doubled.
- McGuinty only leader not facing leadership questions
- Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty won re-election in Ottawa South and NDP Leader Howard Hampton again won his northern Ontario riding of Kenora-Rainy River. PC Leader John Tory was defeated.
District Profiles
More Ontario Votes Headlines »
- McGuinty wins massive majority, Tory loses seat
- Dalton McGuinty won a second majority government for the Liberals in Ontario on Wednesday night, a triumph for a party that earlier expressed fears of a drop to minority status.
- Ontario rejects electoral reform in referendum
- Ontario voters have rejected a proposed electoral reform that would have seen some provincial legislators chosen based on a party's share of the popular vote, results showed Thursday.
- Ontario voter turnout a record low
- The percentage of eligible voters casting ballots in Wednesday's Ontario election hit an all-time low despite changes introduced in an effort to boost turnout.
- Ont. Green party scores 8 per cent of vote
- No Green party candidates made it to the Ontario legislature in Wednesday's election, but that defeat was sweetened by a swell in their share of the popular vote, which more than doubled.
- McGuinty only leader not facing leadership questions
- Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty won re-election in Ottawa South and NDP Leader Howard Hampton again won his northern Ontario riding of Kenora-Rainy River. PC Leader John Tory was defeated.
