A recent news about the cancelation of an early learning program in Surrey schools created panic amongst Surrey parents. Many schools in Surrey run StrongStart which is an early learning program that helps children up to the age of five with their language skills, social, emotional, physical, and cognitive abilities.
But recently Surrey School district said that the program was at the risk of closing because of lack of funding from the provincial government.
Two parents have also started an online petition to prevent the closure of StrongStart. Peter Shen and Grace Xie, two Surrey parents to three children, according to the change.org petition they started, say their family benefited greatly from the “invaluable” program.
“StrongStart is an invaluable resource for children aged 0-5 years living in Surrey. It provides them with an excellent life learning experience that sets a solid foundation for their future education and social skills. The cancellation of such a beneficial program would be detrimental not only to my youngest child who has yet to benefit from it but also countless other children within our community,” the petition said.
BC’s education minister Rachna Singh issued a statement following the news assuring parents that the province will make every effort to keep the program up and running.
She said, “In recent weeks, I have witnessed an inaccurate notion be amplified: that provincial funding for the StrongStart BC program in Surrey is being cut. I want to reassure people in Surrey that this is not true. It’s important I set the record straight and make clear that funding from the Province for StrongStart BC is fully intact and has not received funding cuts.”
“While school districts undergo 2024/25 budget planning, the decision to continue this valued program will be made by the School District, not the Province. Funding is allocated per center, and Surrey receives the same per-centre funding as every other district operating the program. We are aware of funding pressures and continue our commitment to working with the district to identify solutions, like our previous approval of Ready-Set-Learn dollars being utilized for program operation. To be clear, Surrey receives $736,000 per year to operate 23 centers, specifically for StrongStart BC operations. This funding must be used for StrongStart BC operation and is calculated based on the operation of 23 centers, not more or less.”
“I will continue to urge the Surrey School District and the board to keep the StrongStart BC program active within their district, and I look forward to my meeting with SD36 this week to have this important discussion.
Early learning programs are important in helping kids thrive when they start school. StrongStart BC is just one such program in British Columbia. In Surrey, to help prepare children for school, the Province also funds Ready-Set-Learn drop-in education as well as 1,900 preschool child care spaces, and over 5,400 families are receiving additional support for their child care fees, including preschool, through the Affordable Child Care Benefit,” Singh added.
