Below is a formal letter to request the BC Government consider shortening the kindergarten integration period from two weeks to one week, due to the unnecessary strain it puts on households.

To the Honourable the Legislative Assembly of the Province of British Columbia, in Legislature Assembled. The petition of the undersigned, parents and concerned citizens of BC, states that: 

The current system of kindergarten gradual entry in British Columbia, usually lasting two weeks, creates undue hardship for families, and adds to the strain on an already buckling health care system. The system of giving kindergarteners two weeks to adjust to the school setting was implemented many years ago, and no longer makes sense given the current social and economic climate. 

Unlike a few decades ago, the majority of households in Canada with children six years old and under now have both parents working full time (McInturff & Macdonald, 2015). Many families do not have relatives or friends who are able to take on childcare duties for these two weeks, nor are children allowed to stay in a daycare for pre-school aged children once they are old enough to enter kindergarten. This leaves many families with few options other than having a parent take two weeks off of work.

Affordability is a huge issue for families, and they are adversely impacted when one parent has to take two weeks off of work to support a child entering kindergarten on the current gradual entry schedule. We learned from the pandemic that the burden of finding child care differentially impacts women and single parents, meaning this is a policy that differentially affects certain groups. Overall, this two-week gradual entry schedule is causing an excessive amount of stress on parents. While a longer gradual entry schedule may be beneficial in some ways for some children, we believe the mental health and economic burden put on parents is not worth having it be the standard for all children. Without the stress over missing so much work during the start of kindergarten, parents will be better able to support their child’s social and emotional needs during this transition. 

Further, we are in an unprecedented time in terms of labour shortages across may sectors, including the health care system. No longer does it have the resiliency it once did, and a lack of health care professionals across all disciplines is at the core of these challenges. Asking parents who are health care workers, or workers in any sector with a labour shortage, to take two weeks off every time they have a child who is entering kindergarten is only exacerbating these challenges. Reducing the time allocated for kindergarten gradual entry will reduce the number of days health care providers (and workers in other sectors with labour shortages) will need to take off. 

Your petitioners respectfully request that the Honourable House consider reducing the kindergarten gradual entry time to a maximum of one week. This will reduce the stress on families, allow children to enter school with parents who are emotionally and financially better able to support them, and reduce strain on the health care and other public service systems by reducing the number of days parents are required to take off. Thank you for your consideration. 

Reference: 

McInturff, K. & Macdonald, D. (2015). Time to Grow Up: Family Policies for the Way we Live Now. Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.