Parents who were hoping to secure a Kindergarten space for their child in the downtown Yaletown area of Vancouver had a tough challenge this week. Due to a shortage of spaces at the local Elsie Roy elementary school parents camped out overnight in an effort to secure the few spaces available.  Children who don't get into the spaces will be forced to attend other schools in the Vancouver area. 

From a recent Vancouver Sun article –

Parents have been lining up to enroll their children at Elsie Roy since it opened. Historically, an overflow of kindergarten students has gone to neighbouring schools, including Lord Roberts, Roberts Annex, Strathcona and Simon Fraser.

But parents argue they shouldn’t have to enroll their children in schools such as Strathcona, located in the Downtown Eastside, because it’s too far to walk and isn’t a savoury neighbourhood.

“Saying there’s capacity at Strathcona doesn’t cut it because nobody wants to go there,” Tavakoli said.

An additional article can be found here.

Clearly there is debate among parents regarding sending children to schools such as Strathcona which is located in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. Here are some interesting comments from the Vancouver Sun comments section on this issue.

Patrick Byrne

 

January 06, 2009 – 1:25 PM

 

My child is presently enrolled in the French immersion kindergarten program at Strathcona Elementary. His teacher is experienced and has a wonderful rapport with the children. My child comes home loving school and full of enthusiasm for learning. In the four months he has been in kindergarten he has acquired developmental skills that reflect a robust learning environment that I would be hardpressed to find anywhere. The accessibility of French Immersion is an added bonus. Both his high-school age babysitters are alumni of Strathcona, and they are well-adapted young people with a solid academic grounding. I understand the issue of transportation when selecting a school for one's child, but I challenge the parents in the downtown peninsula to put aside any misconceptions about Strathcona being a school where their child would receive an inferior education. If I felt my child's future was being compromised by his attending Strathcona, he would be out of there in a heartbeat. But quite the opposite is the case. As for the Strathcona neighbourhood in which the school is located, I invite parents to come and take a stroll, have their kids play on the playground at MacLean Park, have a coffee at a local cafe, and then decide if the area is "unsavoury". The many families, including ourselves, who have moved into the neighbourhood in recent years certainly think quite the opposite.

 

Maureen

 

January 05, 2009 – 9:08 AM

 

 Camping out to get a place for your child in kindergarten is crazy! I went to Lord Roberts and did kindergarten 40 years ago…it is a good school but you would think in 40 years of growth the government would have built other schools and especially in Yaletown where growth has been enourmous in the past 15 years. SO much money went into rezoning of Yaletown for restuaurants, shops and living that what about a good school??? the priorities are so backwards it make me ill just thinking about it. I also do not feel kids should be redirected to other schools far away from their neighbourhood.

   

 

Andrew Storrs

 

January 04, 2009 – 11:47 PM

 

 While Strathcona is a fine school (and has a fantastic kindergarten program) it's not exactly around the corner. I know for me with a younger child currently enrolled in daycare near Elsie Roy the need to drop one child at daycare then travel to Strathcona and drop the other one, and then do it all again at the end of the day will add an hour to my workday. Additionally because we live downtown we only have one car and for my wife to do the same routine everyday would take 2x as long. It's time the province stopped delaying year after year and started construction on the 2 additional schools promised for the area. Why they built a single 300 space elementary in an area that was built to house >10,000 and marketed at young families is beyond ridiculous. And why after 5 years and increasing enrollments have they not switched to a lottery model like they were forced to do with the French Immersion program after the line ups there got silly. Oh and just as an FYI to any readers, this comment was posted from my iPhone from inside the school gymnasium (which is currently looking like a psuedo refuge camp) while I wait with 24 (no make that 24 now) other families for registration to open tomorrow at 8am.