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
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Millions of Canadians have been exposed to potentially toxic chemicals, and they're not going anywhere
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
German men with the strongest fingers compete in Bavaria's 'Fingerhakeln' wrestling championship
Despite the threat of dislocated fingers and strained muscles, over 150 Bavarian men came together Sunday to compete in Germany’s unique national championship of “Fingerhakeln,” or finger wrestling.
Flash floods in northern Afghanistan sweep away livelihoods, leaving hundreds dead and missing
The UN food agency estimated that unusually heavy seasonal rains in Afghanistan have left more than 300 people dead and thousands of houses destroyed, most of them in the northern province of Baghlan, which bore the brunt of the deluges Friday.
Adopted daughter in the Netherlands reunited with sister in Montreal and mother in Colombia, 40 years later
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
Michael Cohen: A challenging star witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial
He once said he would take a bullet for Donald Trump. Now Michael Cohen is prosecutors' biggest piece of legal ammunition in the former president's hush money trial.
4th Indian national arrested, charged with murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Homicide investigators in B.C. say murder charges have been laid against a fourth Indian national in connection to the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Surrey gurdwara last year.
RCMP boss expresses desire for new law to deal with threats against politicians
RCMP commissioner Mike Duheme says he wants the government to look at drafting a new law that would make it easier for police to pursue charges against people who threaten elected officials.