Surrey early learning program could be cut due to funding crunch

An early learning program for youngsters in Surrey may be cancelled, the school board says, as budget constraints squeeze already stretched resources.

Surrey Schools Chair Laurie Larsen says 25 schools in the city run the StrongStart BC program, and it’s particularly important for families that are new to Canada.

“[It’s an early learning tool for pre-kindergarteners to come in and get used to the school. It’s also for the parents, the grandparents, and caregivers to come in. Sometimes it may be their first introduction to a school — some have come from war-torn country, some haven’t been in school or neither have their siblings for many years,” she explained.

StrongStart BC, partially funded by the province, helps children aged five and under in B.C. with their language, physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development, according to the province.

But Larsen says the program in Surrey is running on a massive deficit, and the district desperately needs more funding to keep up.

“It’s a way to bring them in and introduce them to how school works and have them feel comfortable,” she said of the program. “A lot of them do not have the funds to attend preschool. So this is their first interaction with dealing with other children and their peers.”

Larsen says it’s “overwhelming” to think about possibly shutting the program down.

“It’s just atrocious. It’s so shameful that Surrey has to do that,” she said.

“The only way we can fund it is out of our operating expenses. This should be fully funded by the government. It isn’t really fair that we, as a large district, have to try and find the funds to run an important program.”

Larsen is calling on the Ministry of Education and Child Care to commit to funding the program across the province.

In a statement to CityNews, the ministry did not commit to that request.

The ministry says it gives over $10 million per year to B.C. school districts’ budgets which operate the “highly valued” program. It continues to say that it has been “steadily” increasing districts operating budgets since 2017, with almost $8 billion allocated for 2024/25.

“This includes more than $1 billion in operating and special grants for Surrey, which is $236 million higher than the district received in 2020/21,” the ministry said.

“Additionally, the Surrey School District will be receiving almost $2 million in replenished funding through the Student and Family Affordability Fund to help support students and families who need it most in their district to help cover the cost of school related expenses. This is on top of the more than $7 million provided through this funding for Surrey in 2022, and the almost $9 million provided last year for Feeding Futures to help the district expand school food programs in their schools.”

The ministry says while it “remains supportive” of Surrey continuing to provide its StrongStart BC programs, “it will ultimately be up to the board to make a final decision on its budget after consulting with, and hearing feedback from, their local community.”

–With files from Cecilia Hua and Srushti Gangdev