all,” notes Michalik. “There’s the obvious impact on learning and well-being for students, but there’s also the impact on families who now don’t have to worry about childcare for their kindergarteners.” LRSD views full-day, every-day kindergarten as a strategic first step in addressing broader childcare challenges.The initiative aligns with Strategic Action 4.3 from their Multi-Year Strategic Plan, which calls for implementing universal full-day, every-day kindergarten and enhancing access to before-andafter school care. “Before we could solve the before-and-after school care crisis and the preschool childcare crisis, we as a public education system needed to solve the KinderCare dilemma,” Michalik explains. “Now that we’ve achieved that, we’re turning our attention to before and after school care. Our objective is that any family requiring before and after school care for their children has access to a fee-for-service program in their catchment school.” THE RENÉ DELEURME CENTRE AND BEYOND The René Deleurme Centre (RDC) exemplifies Louis Riel School Division’s integration of education with community services. “The RDC brings together a remarkable number of community stakeholders,” Michalik explains. “We have the Newcomer Settlement Services team, which is federally funded support to newcomers. We have a school and family community connector that’s provincially funded through the community schools mandate. There’s Morrow Avenue Early Childhood Learning Centre, a private childcare provider with innovative practices, where we collaborate on developing approaches to childcare.” The centre also houses EDGE, a nonprofit organization offering literacy and adult English as an Additional Language (EAL) program. This concentration of services creates a comprehensive community resource serving multiple schools including Lavallee School,Victor Mager School,Victor H.L. Wyatt School, St. George School, and Hastings School. Building on this successful model, LRSD is now expanding its community-centred approach. “We’re busily expanding that work,” Michalik shares. “The 4 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 04
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