As one preschool closes its doors, another gets set to launch.
Parents showed up at Ecole Monseigneur Blaise Morand School June 8 to ask questions about the new preschool, register their children and attend the first annual general meeting.
The preschool, called Petit Monde, will be run by a board of parents and rent space at EMBM school, in a portable classroom. Although many of the preschool's board members are affiliated with the school, the French Catholic preschool is not run by the school. Preschools are not regulated by the provincial government, whereas pre-kindergarten programs are operated by school divisions, and must employ a certified teacher.
A number of parents at the meeting indicated they were sending their children to Petit Monde because Judy Mahon's Adventures in Learning preschool is in its last year of operation.
Mahon made the decision to shut down the preschool at the end of this school season because of competition from school operated pre-kindergarten programs. Currently, 15 pre-K programs are available in the Light of Christ and Living Sky school divisions. The pre-K programs are available only to 'vulnerable' children who meet certain criteria determined by the Ministry of Education, such as single-parent and low-income families. Certain pre-K programs, however, will accept children who do not meet the criteria if there are surplus spots.
Mahon was finding that parents who had enrolled their children at her preschool were also putting their children on the waiting list for these spots, and pulling out of her preschool at the last minute when accepted.
Theo Masich, co-president of Petit Monde preschool, as well as EMBM's principal, said he's not too concerned about the competition from pre-K programming., since Petit Monde offers both an introduction to French and the Catholic religion.
"We hope that people are registering here because this is where they want to be," said Masich.
Angela Yeaman came to register her daughter at Petit Monde. Yeaman said her first choice was Judy Mahon's preschool and the closure will mean she'll have more difficulty co-ordinating pick-up and drop-off times.
"It's a lot more running around," she said.
Currently, 53 children are enrolled at Petit Monde for the fall, to be divided into four groups; two morning classes and two afternoon classes. Masich estimates full capacity at 64 students. The preschool will occasionally have access to the gym, and will be able to play on the playground, but at different times than older students. There was discussion about potentially involving the preschoolers in school activities such as assemblies, although the details have yet to be worked out.
