Xavier will be 5 next fall. During the month of February, his parents will have to enroll him in kindergarten. Xavier can’t wait because at his CPE, we talked to him about kindergarten and we did lots of activities to prepare for it.
Natalya will also go to kindergarten next year. Almost a year ago, his parents fled their war-torn country and were welcomed to Canada. She does not attend an educational service for children, because families seeking asylum do not have access to subsidized places. The $45 per day charge for unsubsidized places (instead of $8.70) is far too high for her parents who are already struggling to make ends meet. Her mother therefore had to reduce her working hours and her francization courses to take care of her when the neighbor was not available to do so.
Moving to kindergarten is a big milestone for Xavier and Natalya. They will learn, among other things, to live harmonious relationships with others and to communicate well. They will also prepare for learning to read and write. However, they will enter school with a very different background.
Entry into post-pandemic kindergarten
Pandemic, inflation and housing crisis: the last few years have not been easy, to say the least!
According to studies to date, it is the most socio-economically vulnerable families, such as Natalya’s, who bear the brunt of the consequences. The toddlers of these families are unfortunately not spared. In addition, the immigration process requires significant psychological and socio-cultural adaptation, not to mention the precarious living conditions of many immigrant families. These risk factors can affect children’s physical health, mental health and development.
According to several partners of the Montreal Success Network, the children who arrived in kindergarten aged 4 or 5 this year would experience more difficulties than before. Some children have undiagnosed health or developmental problems because they have not been seen by a doctor recently.
However, the communities do not always have the necessary resources to support them properly. On the side of the Blue House, an organization that works closely with immigrant families, we observe that learning French is more difficult. Some older children who are followed by social pediatrics centers remain in the reception class for two years whereas they spent three to six months there before.
According to the most recent data collected in Montreal, children born outside Canada who exclusively attended a CPE are five times less likely to be vulnerable in at least one area of development than those who did not attend any educational service. . Wouldn’t it be beneficial to ensure that all children can benefit from this protective effect?
While the writing exam failure rate among high school students has risen alarmingly since the start of the pandemic, let us remember that early childhood interventions are the most effective and cost-effective. in terms of health and educational success. And let’s not forget to give every child the same opportunities, regardless of their immigration status.