What will P.E.I.'s pre-kindergarten program look like? Early childhood educators want to know

Early childhood educators say there are a lot of questions that remain unanswered just six months before the P.E.I. government rolls out its pre-kindergarten program.

The program for four-year-old Island children was a key component of the education platform the PCs put forward during the 2019 election campaign.

Pam Barrett, with Tiny Tot Child Care Centre on Kensington Road in Charlottetown, said the biggest question is about wages, which impacts the early childhood centre's ability to attract and retain the staff they need to handle the influx of children expected in the program in September.

Last year, wages for early childhood educators went up by between $1 and $3 an hour. 

Still, many are making near minimum wage. 

"We'd like to know what that educator wage, what's that going to look like?" said Barrett.

'We don't really know'

But Erin Reid Terrio, who is with Tiny Tot on Pope Avenue in Charlottetown, said there are a lot of other questions as well.

"What's the costs to the centres, to the parents, what's that going to look like now? Those are questions that we don't really know," she said. "Another thing we'd be looking for is, of course, your certification, and how do we get our educators to that Level 3 … there's some questions that still need to be worked out."  

About 75 per cent of Island children are already taking part in pre-kindergarten programs.

But Barrett and Reid Terrio said parents should register soon, even if all the details of the program are unknown, because they worry not everybody will get a seat.

Program details available in 'very near future'

Opposition education critic Karla Bernard said at this point, the details of the program should be known. 

"We have such an opportunity to do something and do it well and do it right," said Bernard, MLA for Charlottetown-Victoria Park. 

"This program, I fear at this point without more details and without having some of these kinks worked out, I have grave concerns of what this is going to do to an already burdened system." 

In a statement, the Department of Education said, "Government is firmly committed to making a high-quality pre-k program available this fall. The objective is to support their learning and development and put them on a more equal footing when they begin school."

The statement also said the department will have more information for parents and early childhood educators in the "very near future."

Officials with the province said it may be June before details of the program are rolled out.

Not enough time to prepare

Bernard said that's too late since parents are making plans for the fall right now.

"You need to have those plans in place so that you know you've got that peace of mind that your children … are looked after," she said.

"And hearing the news that it's going to June, potentially, before centres are prepared and before we know what's going on, that is not acceptable." 

The program will cover the costs of three hours a day or 15 hours a week for pre-kindergarten. If a child spends any more time in the child-care centre, those costs will have to be picked up by parents. 

The PC platform said the program would cost about $5 million. 

Reid Terrio said she works at one of about a dozen centres that already offer their own standalone pre-kindergarten program. 

But she's heard from other care centres that are worried about being ready, given the launch of the program is only six months away.

"We do have a pre-k program so we know that our day-to-day might not look too different, but there's a lot of questions for centres that currently don't have a pre-k program," she said. 

"There is a lot of work to be done." 

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