Parents, small children, advocates and a few politicians gathered outside the Surrey school district office to call for more funding to save the city’s StrongStart program.
With signs displaying the group’s pleas to “save StrongStart” and sharing how “StrongStart supports equity,” the tens of people received many honks in support of their message from drivers passing by.
StrongStart is a free, drop-in program available throughout the province for children from birth to age five. Accompanying their parents, children gain the opportunity to socialize with peers, learn to communicate and read in English, while also receiving early intervention for possible learning or developmental disabilities.
The parents and caregivers are also able to access resources for their children and interact with other guardians.
RELATED: Parents, educators push for StrongStart to stay in Surrey
At the March 13 regular school board meeting, the announcement was made that the program might either be shut down completely or run at a significantly scaled-down rate in Surrey because funding hasn’t increased since 2008. A final decision is planned to come shortly, the board stated.
Since the community was hit with the news of StrongStart’s possible closure, parents and caregivers of children who use or have benefited from the program have been calling for it to stay and for the province to increase funding.
Peter Shen, a father of three young children who also started the online petition to save StrongStart, spoke at the rally. The petition has garnered more than 2,800 signatures, as of Friday afternoon.
“My 20-month-old just started walking, so he’s going to StrongStart right now and he’s having a blast running around the class. … It would be such a shame if this was taken away,” Shen said.
Kevin Falcon, Leader of the Official Opposition BC United, joined the protest, flanked by Surrey-White Rock MLA Trevor Halford and Surrey South MLA Elenore Sturko, to call on the provincial government for more funding for StrongStart.
“The tragedy of what’s happening today is parents shouldn’t be having to spend time out asking the government to please, just increase the funding to reflect the increase in costs in the Surrey school district,” Falcon said to reporters.
“To take away a program like StrongStart would really do a disservice to recent immigrants, young moms and dads and others that are really just trying to do the best with their kids and give them the strong start that every child deserves.”
The first parent-protest was held right before this week’s school board meeting on Wednesday (April 10), drawing more than 100 individuals.
Later that night, board chair Laurie Larsen shared that trustees had met with Education Minister Rachna Singh that morning to discuss StrongStart.
“We had an open and honest discussion about the financial challenges the district is experiencing, not just with operating the program but also the pressures we are facing with our growing enrolment and its impact on our operating budget,” Larsen said.
“We will continue meeting with ministry staff on this important issue and hopefully identify sustainable solutions that prioritize the well-being of children in our community … to find a sustainable solution within the coming weeks.”