See text below.
EXCERPTS
Demand for spaces in the province's pre-Primary pilot program is by far outstripping availability, the Halifax regional school board heard last week.
While singing the praises of this free, full-day early learning opportunity for four-year-old children &emdash; you know, the benefits of socialization and the lasting impact of a pre-school learning program &emdash; board staff bemoaned the fact that not enough spaces were available at selected schools across the region, and said parents in other areas were angry that they did not have access to the pilot program.
…
Funny thing. If they'd called it day care, somebody would be screeching about "choice" for families.
…
But don't you dare suggest that the "state" should support "institutional care" for children. (Another funny thing: Nobody ever claims that children who go off to public school every day are being raised by the state in institutional care, but call it child care, and you'll get that and more.)
As the argument goes, why should the Canadian taxpayer fund child care so Mrs. Fancy Pants can go off to corporate downtown to "find herself" in the career world. If she wants to go to work, let her pay for her own child care.
In the throne speech on Parliament Hill last week, the Harper government again pledged to kill the previous Liberal child-care plan that would have brought this province millions in funding to expand child-care spaces across Nova Scotia. As it stands, the province will now receive money for only the first two years of the deal.
Harper will not be dissuaded on this, even though a number of premiers, including our own Rodney-come-lately, have pressed him to honour the day-care commitments to provinces.
…
Perhaps the federal Liberals should have called it a pre-Primary program; everybody seems to like those.
- reprinted from the Halifax Chronicle Herald