Ensuring The Opportunities in Canada

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Ensuring The Opportunities in Canada

The second word, TEACH

Our education systems in Canada need to be much broader based to include all aspects of our children's education from day care through to university and adult education. Both the federal and provincial governments are being pressured these days to provide a universal daycare program in Canada. In some form this will probably become a reality over the next few years.

There is much empirical evidence that shows learning problems can be discovered in very young children along with aggressive characteristics which in later years could lead to antisocial behavior. Since these children will be placed into the school system a year or three down the road, it seems only sense to have them under the wing of the Departments of Education from the beginning.

• Who better to address the problems?
• Who better to handle ‘Adult Child Care’ courses for the parents?
• Who better to provide the training and certification of daycare workers?
• Who better to provide and inspect facilities and quality of care?

The only drawback to the school systems becoming responsible for daycare- is funding.

Why are school administrators, teachers and educators the only segment in society placing any pressure whatsoever on their respective governments to increase funding for education? It is as if parents of school age children are ignorant of the consequences of budget cutbacks. Why are we always playing pocketbook economics when it comes to social programs and education.

These are your children! Demand the best for them! Take the time to get involved in school program initiatives. Petition your provincial and federal governments and demand restoration of funding. Don't settle for excuses and buck passing.

The vast majority of teachers are passionate about education, if they weren't they would not be there. The stress level of teachers in today's schools is at unprecedented levels, and most of that stress is caused by cutbacks to education. They no longer have the resources needed to do their job. They have less help in the classroom. They are required to handle an expanding workload of more students and wider curriculum. Most students are not getting the scholastic attention required by the mandate school boards are given to achieve the level of education asked of them by the education departments they administer under. Who suffers most? Our children.

Education department statistics show that approximately 25 per cent of secondary school students were at risk of not graduating. Most of this under-achievement is due to cutbacks to education. When we consider the fact that most problem children come from poorer families, and that cutbacks are diminishing their opportunities to learn, where do we intervene in order to break the cycle of under-achievement / poor employment prospects / high risk of crime involvement.

A University of Berkley study showed that for each $1 investment in programs for children identified as being in risk of involvement in criminal activity, paid back $7 in services- police, courts, intervention, incarceration, etc, that were not required. In other words, we can fund the programs required to give our children the best opportunities possible now or pay 7X the costs in policing, courts, social services and outright crime.     What's your choice?

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