Full-day kindergarten may suit some children and parents, but it may not be good for everyone.

And that poses a problem, says a Surrey mom, because soon the choice for five-year-old kids in B.C. will be to attend school all day or not at all.

Until now, the standard kindergarten program in B.C. has offered a half-day of schooling (although there are full-day programs for aboriginal and ESL students, and some students with special needs).

But starting this September, full-day kindergarten is being phased in at public schools throughout the province over two years.

It’s not necessarily a terrible concept, concedes mom-of-four Tania Fehr, but she feels parents should at least be given an option.

“I can see the benefits. But I really feel like I’m being forced,” says the parent, who has two children already attending Bayridge Elementary. “I don’t even have a say whether my child needs a nap?”

via www.bclocalnews.com

The Quebec government has put on hold all new adoption applications for Haitian children as part of an international effort to prevent a repeat of the child smuggling that occurred after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

On Monday, a United Nations agency urged caution with any new adoptions, given that the events unfolding in Haiti make it impossible to verify the personal and family situation of children.

The provincial directive, effective immediately, applies to all new applications involving Haiti — not applications already processed by Quebec authorities and approved by the Haitian government.

The federal government has announced it will expedite pending applications by fast-tracking the visas and other paperwork that falls under federal jurisdiction at the end of the international adoption process.

Damage from the earthquake and aftershocks, however, is making it difficult for Canadian government officials on the ground in Haiti to work as fast as they would like, according to an official with Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

via www.vancouversun.com