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Home > News > Posts > Hazen White/St. Francis becomes Licensed Preschool Facility
April 30
Hazen White/St. Francis becomes Licensed Preschool Facility
by  i:0#.f|nbedldapmembershipprovider|mark.batesNo presence information  on 4/30/2014 2:10 PM

When you visit the Polka-Dot room at Hazen White St. Francis School on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings, it is a hub of activity.  That is because the school is running a preschool program for children who will be entering Kindergarten there next year.  Children attend this program, free of charge due to a generous grant which McInnes Cooper has made available to the school for the past three years.  Last spring, the school applied to become a licensed early learning and child care facility and set a goal of meeting the New Brunswick Child Day Care Facilities Operator Standards.  They achieved this goal this past December.   All half day and full day early learning and childcare programs as well as afterschool programs must meet these standards which govern safety, health, and curriculum outcomes. 

 

Pat Brillant and Debbie McLaggan are the educators in this program and they with school principal, Jennifer Carhart have been working with Early Childhood Services Coordinator, Vicki Smith to meet the standards which lead to licencing.  On April 24th Gary Hall, Early Childhood Services Director and Vicki Smith Early Childhood Services Coordinator, met with the staff to present them with their licence and to congratulate them on their efforts.   The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development has set a goal to integrate early childhood learning into the school system and to help children be better prepared for their transition to Kindergarten.  We know from our experiences with the Early Learning Centre pilot at Saint John the Baptist /King Edward that this type of school-based licensed facility will help us to accomplish these goals and to ensure that children are receiving high quality learning experiences in safe environments. 

 
Achievement of this status will give this facility access to EECD preschool funding programs such as the Quality Improvement Funding Support to supplement Early Childhood Educators’ salaries, the Daycare Assistance Program which supports tuition for families based on income and the Developmental Childcare program which provides transportation and assistant support for children with developmental needs.  At Hazen White/St. Francis this type of support has not been necessary due to the generosity of McInnes Cooper but as we look to the future, access to these programs may help in the sustainability of these types of school-based programs.
 

 I want to commend the work of these dedicated staff as they have worked through the licensing process. 
 

Submitted by : Gary Hall, Director of ECS, ASD-S

 

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