As parents begin clamouring to register their children at one of the schools that will offer full-day kindergarten next school year, one trustee is working to ensure that the neediest families have access to the program.
The province targeted low-income, high-need neighbourhoods when it finalized the list of schools that would offer the full-day program this fall, but Toronto Catholic District School Board trustee Rob Davis wants to go a step further.
In a letter to his board, he has called on staff to partner with Toronto Employment and Social Services in identifying families that might be able to come off welfare with access to the all-day option.
"A lack of childcare is an impediment to employment and training," said Mr. Davis, who was a member of the province's Social Benefits Tribunal before he became a trustee. "All-day learning provides a safety net, and I'm hoping we can turn that safety net into a trampoline for some families on Ontario Works benefits."