The Government of Prince Edward Island is thanking all teachers, staff and parents for the successful transition of students into a public full-day kindergarten program, says Premier Robert Ghiz.
“This is the single largest educational initiative in the recent history of this province,” said Premier Ghiz. “Our government continues to be committed to the education of our students.”
Premier Ghiz and Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Doug Currie stopped into Souris Consolidated School to celebrate the first year of Prince Edward Island’s first full-day public kindergarten program. They were joined by Allan Campbell, Minister of Innovation and Advanced Learning and Souris-Elmira MLA. Souris Consolidated School has 44 students completing kindergarten this year, part of the approximately 1,400 kindergarten students across the province.
“Our goal is to have a system that will help prepare Island children for a lifetime of learning,” said Minister Currie. “Education is a priority for our government and we know that early learning is pivotal to a child having success in life. Today is a celebration for the students, teachers, staff and parents who all contributed to this fantastic initiative.”
The provincial government first announced that it would bring Prince Edward Island’s kindergarten system into the public school system in the 2008 Speech from the Throne. To establish the publicly funded kindergarten program, the government tripled funding from $3 million in 2009 to $10 million in 2010. This included funding for teaching staff, capital upgrades and new classrooms. The full-day program is accessible to all Prince Edward Island children and families, now having access to the same opportunities as others across the country.
For more information on the kindergarten program, go to www.gov.pe.ca/eecd.