Kindergarten 4 years old: Roomed in Ralenting in Bas-Saint-Laurent

The expansion of kindergarten 4 years stagnates in Bas-Saint-Laurent, among other things for lack of space. The workforce remains fragile, but a certain shortness of breath is also reported in several sectors.

The number of 4 -year kindergarten classes will remain roughly the same in the various school service centers in the region at the next school year. This is also the case on a provincial scale, since 1,700 classes were authorized by the Ministry of Education, while there were 1691 in the network for the school year which has just ended.

It has been said for two years, the lack of space, the shortage of labor, but also the significant increase in the number of students, mainly due to the arrival of new arrivals, are challenges for the opening of more classes.

The Minister of Education, Bernard Drainville, had also postponed, two years ago, his target of 2,600 kindergarten classes 4 years old at the 2029-2030 school year, while the opening of nearly 5,000 classes was a flagship promise of Prime Minister François Legault during his 2018 electoral campaign.

A lack of space

The School Services Center of Lighthouses has opted for the status quo for the next school year, with 22 4 -year kindergarten classes, 3 of which combine children aged 4 and 5. In Rimouski, new schools will open their doors to 4-year-old children, such as schools in Rocher-d’AUteuil, Estran or Elisabeth-Turgeon, while others, like the watercolor school, will lose.

The director of the educational resources department, Marie-Hélène Gagné, underlines that it is the lack of premises which represents the largest obstacle to the addition of classes.

I have two or three schools where I really have a request, and that is why we continue the key passout. […] We really have no premises to welcome these young people full-timeshe explains, referring to the program which allows children to integrate the school environment at 4 years old, at the rate of half a day per week.

We know the importance that early stimulation has an impact on the future success of these students. So we try everything to offer either a 4-year kindergarten service, or go back when we do not have sufficient space.

The psychologist specializing in academic success and former professor at the Faculty of Education Sciences at Laval University, aegis Royer, deplores the closure of 4 -year kindergarten classes in different regions of Quebec.

These closures are very often attributable to a lack of space, but also to the lack of teaching staff.

Imagine, if we said: we will cut adult education, for lack of places. It would be completely crazy. If we tell you: we won’t make a 4 -year kindergarten, for lack of space … it’s weird.

A decrease in parents’ interest?

The Kamouraska-Rivière-du-Loup school service center will reach 31 4-year kindergarten classes in September, a threshold he had already reached in 2023-2024, but which had to be revised last year. Four classes had then had to be closed, for lack of inscriptions.

It was not for lack of premises, but for lack of registration particularly. Some parents prefer to remain in CPE, For exampleexplains the deputy director of educational services and responsible for the school organization, Sébastien Mercier.

Four classes will be added again for the next school year. What helps us is the opening of the new school, the École de la Grande Dipindicates Sébastien Mercier. He recognizes that it would be impossible to offer 4 -year kindergarten classes in all schools in CSS. We would have an issue of human resources and localshe says.

In recent years, I have seen the interest stagnate. We see that one of the issues that slow down parents, is that it is not in all circles where there are day camps where children of 4 years are accepted.

Sébastien Mercier notes an increase in registrations in the cities which offer a day camp service for children who have attended kindergarten 4 years full time. This is the case of the city of Rivière-du-Loup, where a group reserved for 4-year-old children was planned to support families who find themselves without daycare for the summer season.

The director general of the Monts-et-Marées school service center, Marie-Pierre Guénette, reports an addition of two 4-year kindergarten classes in the territory, for a total of 20 groups for the next school year. She claims that the number of classes has bordered on their twenties in recent years, but that customers are not sufficient to open more.

Clear benefits on the success of students According to her, encourage parents to register their children full-time, so that the Passe-Partout program was completely abandoned.

The River-et-des-Lacs school service center will go from 20 to 19 4-year kindergarten classes in September. The director of educational services, Julie Thibault, says that all the students registered will however have their place. She stresses that when the number of students is not enough in a sector, it is common for a multi -ge class to take shape.

We have small circles on a large territory, so we take the inscriptions and then try to be creative to allow service to everyone.

Julie Thibault also thinks that many parents can be disillusioned when they realize that they will lose their daycare for the summer after the 4 -year kindergarten school year. Royant royant abounds in the same direction and deplores a certain competition with family guardeds and CPE.

He also submits a solution: agreements could be concluded between schools and CPE So that kindergarten can be offered within a daycare. With even an advantage, it is that when school ends, young people always have their place in CPE for summeradvance the specialist.

And the workforce?

The Bas-Saint-Laurent school service centers all recognize that the balance of human resources is fragile, without however showing it as a major obstacle to the addition of 4-year kindergarten classes.

The president of the Grand-Portage Teaching Syndicate, Natacha Blanchet, is surprised. It is certain that a teacher that we place in preschool, well it is a teacher that we no longer have for primary. At the moment, the reminder lists for the alternates are emptyshe underlines.

Natacha Blanchet recalls that the unions had also struck the alarm on this subject in front of the promises of kindergarten 4 years universal of the Coalition Avenir Québec in 2018.

She nevertheless underlines the success of the program: It is certain that there are great successes, the programs are well done and the teachers who are in 4 years are happy. However, she believes that policies wall do not have their place given the labor issues.

Immigration that changes the situation

If the benefits of 4 -year kindergarten are consensus, especially for children in a vulnerable situation, Aegis Royer now wishes to put the spotlight on immigration. He stresses that immigrant families can be less involved in registering their children in the daycare, but that free registration for the school network, from 4 years old, is more frequent and makes all the difference.

A 4 year old child is a spongehe supports, and can learn a language in a few months in kindergarten. It has an impact on the reception and inclusion of new arrivals. But all that was completely backhe deplores.

Instead of cutting kindergartens for 4 years, they should be developed. By the impact that it has, not only on learning, but in relation to the reception and inclusion of new arrivals who do not speak the language.

At the Lighthouse School Service Center, Marie-Hélène Gagné confirms that 4-year kindergarten makes a big difference for children from immigration, who are more and more numerous in all schools in the territory.

It makes a difference, already to have an environment so that the child can be stimulated. Learning the language sometimes, Quebec culture and socializing … It is really important for us to make places available for our young immigrationshe says.