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PREPARING OUR KIDS

Principle:

WE MUST FULFILL WHAT SHOULD BE THE PROMISE OF EACH GENERATION TO PROVIDE THE BEST POSSIBLE EDUCATION FOR OUR CHILDREN, IN ORDER TO PREPARE THEM FOR A RAPIDLY CHANGING AND COMPETITIVE WORLD.

Policy:

We must invest now in the future of our children

Twenty years from now, about 80 per cent of the jobs that my daughter might be interested in pursuing don’t even exist today. The world is a much smaller place than a generation ago, and that means our kids need to be ready to compete with the best and the brightest from around the world. Every parent understands that - Jessica and I certainly do. If we don’t prepare our children for that future, then frankly we will have failed as a Province.

Plan: Access to early education options is a key element in investing in our children. About 30 per cent of children across BC aren’t ready for Kindergarten, and that’s not good enough. Early childhood education is the best investment we can make in BC’s future. Every parent knows that the early years are the most important. I see that as a new dad, watching my daughter change by the week. So, if we want to give our kids the best possible chance to succeed, we need to give them the benefit of an early childhood education.

Plan: We need to recognize the importance of a strong and effective public school system equipped to help children that need support to learn, in order to ensure that no child is denied a proper education because of a learning difficulty. For example, bright children with dyslexia – many of whom have unique skills for a digital world - shouldn’t be forgotten because our education system is not geared to help them learn the way they need to learn. So too with autistic children. We must ensure parents of autistic children are supported in choosing the best style of intervention for their kids and know that they will have support in figuring out how we can make the system work better for them – not have them work better with our system.

Plan: BC must lead with the kind of elementary, high-school, and post-secondary education and training that prepares our kids for a rapidly changing world, where the Asia-Pacific region will generate half the world’s GDP during our children’s lifetime. This includes expanding the language options available across the province to ensure our kids can learn Chinese and Indian languages, along with French and English.

Plan: Teachers are one of the most important factors in our children’s development. Parents, students and administrators all know who the exceptional and innovative educators are. Government needs to recognize and reward those teachers and encourage them to share their expertise and methods with their peers. I support the development of a Master Teacher Incentive Program, similar to one being implemented nationally by Australia’s new Labour Government. I’ll work with teachers, administrators, parents, and community leaders to develop a set of criteria for identifying innovative educators across BC. These recognized Master Teachers would then help mentor other educators to encourage excellence in the system.

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