Best Start still a ‘go’ for Rainy

Ken Johnston

Plans for Best Start childcare in Rainy River schools are still on track, despite similar plans being shelved in Fort Frances by the Board of Education.
Efforts by Rainy River Play school Inc. are still moving ahead to be in place by this fall.
Kim Gardiman, Children’s Services Manager with the Rainy River District Social Services Administration Board (DSSAB) said Monday, “The Rainy River District School Board is still forging ahead in Rainy River and are currently looking at architectural designs for the schools in Rainy River.”
Recently the school board held a meeting in Rainy River to inform the public that they were looking at ways of utilizing surplus space in the two schools here. One proposal involved accessing Best Start Funding for early childhood care. The previous Liberal government had committed to funding the program for a number of years, but the newly elected Conservative government has given notice that the funding agreement with Ontario will be terminated at the end of the 2007 school year.
Gardiman noted that there has been an identified need for Rainy River for several years but until the Best Start funding was offered they had no money to create spaces here. Even though the funding is being phased out at the end of 2007, Gardiman said that there is a genuine need for this type of care and she is confident that they will be able to find money to keep the program up and running without burdening the taxpayers. “DSSAB’s stance has always been to pursue Best Start as long as there is no additional costs to the municipalities.”
The province has agreed to pick up year two operational costs and Gardiman said the province plans to take the 2006/07 allocation and spread it over four years. After the first year there will be no capital funding but the money will be used for operational costs.
If future funding can not be secured Gardiman said, “If something happens we would have to make a decision for programs across the district.” She would not say that they would pull out of the schools, but only that the DSSAB board would have to look at what is best for the children.
While the school board shelved plans to incorporate Best Start in schools in Fort Frances, Gardiman said the program is still very much alive there. “We are looking at ways to support existing programs there.” That community currently has a program run by the Town of Fort Frances.
“All parties concerned are at the table looking at what is best for the children and their families,” said Gardiman. She added that there are some really positive people working on this project and that they are very excited about the new spaces that will be created in Rainy River.
Co-chair of RR Play school Inc., Diane McCormack, told the Record last week that her group is very much on course to open the new childcare spaces this fall. “We are just waiting for space in the school,” she explained.
Gardiman said they are hopeful that renovations will take place this summer and that the program will begin by the end of September, 2006.
McCormack said the breakdown of the spaces in Rainy River will be as follows: Two groups of five toddlers (18 months-3 years old) and possibly as many as two groups of eight preschoolers. The reason being is there needs to be one adult per five kids in the first age level and one per eight in the second. If all positions are created that would see 26 spaces here.
Gardiman on the other hand said that number is not 100% firmed up yet. She told the Record Monday that they are looking at 20-22 spaces for preschool kids. “However we will support a program that Dianne is also working on for kids older than six years old.”
That program would see childcare provided for the older children before and after school and on days such as Professional Development Days for teachers that the kids have off. “They would access needed care in classroom space that is not being used at the time.” That would mean costs would be low.
As for the future of the Rainy River Play school as it is now, McCormack said it would continue to operate as it does now for the first year of the program. “After that it may become part of the childcare program.”