Surrey parents rally to save StrongStart program for young children
Dozens of parents rallied in Surrey Wednesday night, pushing to save an early education program that helps ease kids into kindergarten.
Surrey's StrongStart program is at risk of ending completely, after already facing cutbacks. Parents gathered at the school district's education centre to protest and more than 3,500 people have signed a petition calling for more funding.
Parents say the program, which offers free, play-based learning activities children under the age of five, makes a significant difference for their kids.
"We just felt like we couldn't just sit back and let this program shut down," Peter Shen, event organizer, said at the rally. "It's been such a big part of our life."
Earlier this month, Anne Whitmore, Surrey District Parent Advisory Council president, voiced her concerns about the potential loss of the program. She said her children attended StrongStart and it was instrumental in their educational success.
"It's a safe environment, there were structured activities," Whitmore told CTV News. "Fraser Health might come by and do education for parents or caregivers, so it was a really wonderful place for families."
Whitmore said the district has been funding StrongStart through another kindergarten preparedness program, ReadySetLearn, but the need has outgrown the money available.
Rally organizers said the fate of the program is expected to be decided in the coming days.
There are 25 StrongStart programs across Surrey and dozens more throughout the province.
With files from CTV News Vancouver's Yasmin Gandham
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6976926.1721883767!/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.png)
DEVELOPING Alberta's request for federal assistance approved after fast-moving wildfire hit Jasper National Park: Trudeau
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on social media that Ottawa has approved Alberta's request for federal assistance after a fast-moving wildfire hit Jasper National Park and its townsite late Wednesday.
Loblaw, George Weston to settle class action over bread price-fixing for $500 million
Loblaw Cos. Ltd. and its parent company George Weston Ltd. say they have agreed to pay $500-million to settle a class-action lawsuit regarding their involvement in an alleged bread price-fixing scheme.
EXCLUSIVE One address, 76 foreign currency dealers: Inside Canada's money service business 'clusters'
An IJF and CTV News investigation has found dozens of cases across Canada where multiple money services businesses (MSBs) are incorporated at the same address, sometimes without the knowledge or consent of the location's actual occupant. One money laundering expert calls it an 'abuse of the system.'
U.K. police officer suspended after video appears to show a man being kicked in head
A British police officer was suspended from all duties Thursday after a video was posted on social media that appeared to show an officer kicking and stamping on the head of a man lying on the floor of a terminal at Manchester Airport.
'I'm so broke': Two Toronto women speak out after losing $76,000 in romance scam
Two women from the Toronto area are speaking out after losing thousands of dollars to a romance scam, including a single mother who lost $62,000.
Barrie-Innisfil MPP 'blacked-out' and crashed car into window of child care centre
Staff at a Barrie child care centre say they are frustrated by what they call a local MPP's inadequate response after a car crashed through a window in one of the toddler rooms.
Norad intercepts Russian and Chinese bombers operating together near Alaska in apparent first
The North American Aerospace Defence Command (Norad) intercepted two Russian and two Chinese bombers flying near Alaska Wednesday in what appears to be the first time the two countries have been intercepted while operating together.
Biden explains why he ended re-election bid in Oval Office address
U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday delivered a solemn call to voters to defend the country's democracy as he laid out in an Oval Office address his decision to drop his bid for reelection and throw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris.
Jasper mayor says alert system to be reviewed after message 'glitch'
More than 25,000 people have been displaced from Jasper National Park since wildfires started to threaten the picturesque corner of Alberta Rockies on Monday, but the mayor of its namesake municipality says not everyone received an evacuation alert when it was sent out.