EXCERPTS
Education Minister Sébastien Proulx announced on Monday that 111 pre-kindergarten classes will be added at the beginning of the new school year.
This will bring the number of full-time classes for 4-year-olds in disadvantaged areas of the province to 400, Proulx said during his visit to École Sainte-Geneviève in Quebec City.
The government is investing $130 million over five years to create these classes, obtain educational materials and train educators.
Transition officers will also be hired in each school board to help toddlers integrate into their schools.
In addition, a working table on preschool education will be set up on June 26. It will be chaired by Monique Brodeur, dean of the Faculty of Educational Sciences at UQAM.
The Couillard government is promoting the gradual introduction of full-time pre-kindergarten in disadvantaged areas, in addition to educational childcare services.
In comparison, the Coalition Avenir Québec proposes to offer free, but not compulsory, pre-kindergarten to all children in Quebec.
On Saturday, Premier Philippe Couillard announced at his party’s general council meeting that if he is re-elected, he plans to offer free childcare for four-year-olds, whether they are in a CPE or in a subsidized daycare. The measure will cost $250 million a year.
The general council meeting held Saturday in Montreal was the Liberals’ last rally before the fall election.