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pâ€"_._â€"â€"_â€"#W.v ‘ WM! RllX ) (:ltkoNIcLE - Wednesday. lune a, 20in - 3 ”Speak may: , int mwmlm \VKV // m, u-" tummy“! ANDY WAT-on ‘-' “mm' nus-u.“ _mm 519.579.4110 L 519.747.2108 2 . . WW OFFER 2 ' '" r__.,.._.,_ w~fi www.an __ ‘ 2 WWWâ€"m. ~~~Mm~~~â€"~~_â€"â€"â€"~w l L_.._ .â€"_â€"~.â€"7â€"__â€"â€"â€"‘ O i e 1g 4-0 i Open Sesame preschool celebrates 40 years of helping needy children ByGnec Wan) “When we started. there were Chronicle Staff , , _ a, . , , . four headstart programs in Kitche ’ ‘ r‘ ' ~ “ 3 I Inter and Waterloo.” said Ziegler. tarting in 1970. Rhoda Ernst ~ ' , 1 , is‘ ‘ who has been involved with the S drove to south Kitchener and . Wm ' ‘ '2’ _ ’ ‘7" ‘ , a; :3; program for 39 years. “We’re the north Waterloo, cramming will a? ‘2 only one left;- kids in her car to take them to and 1r «3’?! g . W Thejob has also got tougher, from Open Sesame lleadstart Prev 2:}; . . , as: . go 2 : ' .__L_. “Now kids go to junior kinder- chool. ' {Ti-"1“ ?“ ‘ .L. :5 -*' i- if _ garten. which starts at (age) four, She got to know parents and V ‘j 2- if _ _ “'1 at: . L, .. L sowehavelesstime."sheadded. made special bonds with many of ‘ ’3'" "- ._ x "L "'- é ’ f” tr The program has also seen the children. Forty years later. 2“ .ng L5 x . ’7 ’ < ff some innovations over the years. Ernst has given up all the driving, ~11 - ’ 9511;}? a . L . ,n ,, y . . i In addition to the daycare and but she's still a volunteer at the Eff”; ‘4 3 f _ ‘ you .. ,- m _ . 7 ° 5‘ school, Ziegler. staff and volun- school, a free program that helps { . V .3 Na"- it '. i Mb. W ‘ - J‘ L , teers have developed a parent outr low-income, immigrant and dis " ‘ E .f 8" ‘ » . F ' ’~ ' ’ ’L reach program. abled toddlers get ready for ' ‘ "[12“ I“ . ' " . _ Q; But the key to the program‘s kindergarten. . L3“? 2. ‘L . 3; fi 5‘ ;-. ,. . s i t a . success has been the involvement “We used to pack kids in the :7 . . ‘ 73:3-‘t . 5 f " x. 2 ofits organizers. car, no seatbelts or anything,“ )1. . f f T“??? L L ' g ”.1 _ .L I. .‘ ‘ . fa "fét , “We have people who have Ernst said with a laugh. In the early is“; in“, L? ' 5'4; g; :3 if h " t ’ it! ' . - x ‘ 95%;" been her for 35 years and more," days. Open Sesame mostly helped ”I?" s" a ’ {if 3 Mgr-”'2 'L‘L . -. k ' ” ' 7Jegler said. . low-income families, but the focus j ‘3‘ ,."" f? ” ' I} ' ' . . . For Ernst, the most rewarding of the school has broadened over i ’ “a" ' .» r . 2. 3:3 ' r: - part has been seeing some of the four decades. -: /' ' ”W . , . W. " .. students achieve success. Open Sesame. which is located ‘ ' - . ' - “It's always wonderful when we in the basement of Mount Zion Rhoda Ernst, left, and Carol Ziegler toast to 40 years of Open Sesame Headstart Preschool. hear one of the former students Church on Westmount Road near ommmvo has graduated from university." lirb Street, started as an outreach KidsAbility. But it also covers kids who have The school is funded by Mount she said, The school will celebrate program by the church, “A lot of the kids have speech little or no social interaction or a Zion Church, members of the con- its 40th anniversary with an open [ts mandate was to help chili difficulty, whether it's haying ling- lack of social skills. “v0 teachers gregation as well as government house this Saturday at Mount Zion dren who couldn't afford daycare. lish as a second language or a dis and awhack of volunteers teach 12 grams. Church. 29 Westmount Road Today, it takes referrals from doc» ability." said Carol Ziegler, director students at a time and try to give And in 40 years, the nprogram South. The event runs from 2 pm. tors and organi/ations such as ofthe school them language and social skills. has grown in importance. to 4 pm Child care in Waterloo Region lagging compared to province BYCHARIHITE PRONG PARKHHL comes to cash for kids. licenced child care centres, out that studies show one dollar public school. w "Worm“? 510/] 7.. investment in child care for She said she often hears people invested in quality early learning The logistics of getting her son Chlldl’t‘n increased by 26 per cent question why their tax dollars programs turns into $18 in benefit to child care. and her daughter to acqui Murphy is a working mom across Ontario in 2006/2007, but should subsidize daycare. down the road. when those chil- school and then back to child care. Iwith a problem. only by 2.8 per cent here in Water» "No one questions the value of dren graduate. participate in the became difficult to manage for the “I've had more than a few times loo Region. elementary school, Why do we workforce and pay taxes. busy family during a typical work ' in my office crying because I didn‘t During the same time frame. question the valtle of early learnv "It makes sense from an eco- day. L have access to good quality child the number of licenced child care ing?” she said. nomic point of new," she said. She and her husband have care," said the Waterloo mom at a spaces in the province increased "it's the years up to age six that For Murphy, the child care solu- resorted to hiring a private early recent town hall meeting of the Kr by six percent. It increased by only are the most critical, tion that allowed her and her husa childhood educator for their chilr W Community foundation one per cent here. “ it is bewildering to me and hand to work Without worry is also dren. Rosemary Smith, (M) of the The lack of licenced child care frustrating ~ how reluctant (am. the most expensive one. “That ended up setting us back foundation. said she those invest spaces is leading to a [rllHCh for titans are to value early learning, Initially. her young daughter significantly.” she said. trig in thildrcn as the topu for local families. compared to other developed and toddler son happilyattendeda "I know It's our choice. and their annual meeting in part LII/abeth (Ilarke is the t‘X(’t ur nations,” licenced child care centre. wort-lucky we can dothat. because the rcgion is not ken-ping rive (llfl‘( tor of YW(.A Kitchener Nancy l)lckicson. the region's Then her daughter went off to “But not every family has that pace With the proytnt c when it \thl(‘rl()(l, which operates lllft't‘ director tlftlllltl schIt'es. pointed tunior kindergarten at a local option." ”ewe;â€" l , Low in VOCs. High in natural beauty. EERS l ’ v HDEt‘URATlNG l \A . «a Ill'slt.\('l‘\'lkfsâ€" \ i if i ‘ ' 583 King St. N.. Waterloo ; (37*? I (519) 772-1127 1 :7 _/ . . _ Kitchener . no (mil Ave W out 578 5330 â€" tiZOVlctonaSt N,15|9)576»7576 3306mm molten?) 576‘8200 ‘ p , i â€"£ l