Full Day Learning ffor Four & Five Year Olds in Ontario

The Ontario Liberal government will be pushing full day learning for 4 and 5 year olds. They plan implementation in Sept. 2010. There are so many things wrong with this that it is hard to know where to start the criticism.

Four and five year olds are probably best off with a parent. If this isn't possible, let the parents decide which day care is best. The premise that I accept, and apparently our provincial government doesn't, is that parents will make the best choice for their children.

When my wife and I decided to place our daughter in daycare we researched and visited a number of establishments. We chose the one we thought was right that suited our budget. Our decision proved to be correct. We were confident that the daycare knew who the client was: my wife and myself. We were confident that they knew that if we grew displeased with their service that we would replace them. The bottom line is that choice kept our private daycare, and others, honest, responsible, and incented to do good work. Choice worked. They provided a great service. (Peekaboo daycare in Brampton off Kennedy and Sandalwood for anyone interested)

My daughter finished grade one. The experience we as parents had was less than praiseworthy. We were informed significantly less than daycare. The teachers were not their when we dropped off our child (at 7:45) and were long gone by the time we picked her up. We got to see her daily work periodically, not weekly as in daycare. The attitude of the teachers and staff was what you would expect from someone with union backing and very little competition. (Private schools are out of our price range).

Choice is the key. Government run schools crowd out choice except for the top earners of society. Without choice, we have no power.

On a side note, it is very interesting that private establishments such as Kumon, Oxford Learning Center, and others are popping up all over. There is a market for establishments that will supplement your child's education. If our school system was doing a good job, this wouldn't be happening.

I know how full day learning for four and five year olds will go. The Toronto garbage strike provides a strong clue. The staff will have great compensation packages, great benefits, and a Cadillac pension plan and they will still strike or threaten to strike every three or four years.

Full day learning for four and five year olds is a bad idea the deserves to be stopped. Write to your provincial government representative and tell them so.

Right On

History of the World

The history of the world is one of tyranny and misery. People throughout history have lived under tyranny of an all powerful leader or state. The grandest exception to this is the United States for the last 233 years. The United States has been a pond of freedom and prosperity in an ocean of tyranny and misery.

Why? The DNA of the American is no different than others. Look no further than the constitution and the bill of rights. The right to Life, Liberty and The Pursuit of Happiness is the foundation. The bill of rights lists the protections that the citizens have from their own government. How profound. Freedom is unleashed. With freedom, citizens are unshackled to pursue their interests. And pursue they do. This pursuit leads to achievement and effort and individual betterment.

Do not muck this up. Allow the individual to pursue, achieve, and advance and you have a better citizenry and country.

Right On