Kirsten Larsen
Northern News Services

NNSL (Mar 26/99) - Funding for the early intervention program, Four Plus, was quickly restored after parents and educators lobbied against the government's cut to the program's funding.

The Department of Education, Culture and Employment had cut the program's budget to $45,000 for 1999/2000, but quickly reassessed and increased it to $100,000 after protests from parents and educators started to come forward.

"We found out in late February that the Healthy Children's Initiative which funds the program couldn't or was not giving us the funding we had asked for," said Liz Baile, program coordinator and student support counsellor. "We asked for $137,000, the same as we got last year, and they only gave $45,000. We did our lobbying with parents. Prior to (March) we held a meeting and 90 per cent of the Four Plus parents came.

"They (parents) got it together saying 'I'll write letters to the media, we'll go to the (Ministers Education Forum in Fort Smith March 9 and 10), I'll write letters to the MLAs and I'll e-mail the city council.' Each took a separate responsibility and they did a good job."

The $100,000 is still less than what Four Plus expected, but Baile said it is enough to maintain the staff they need to handle the full enrolment capacity they have presently with approximately 50 children.

"We're still $37,000 short but we are not going to look the gift horse in the mouth," said Baile. "It's just barely enough to cover our staff. We have a (policy) of four children for every adult to ensure the children can have an adult to (interact with) and have the kind of interaction they need to have skills development."

Four Plus is still looking for additional funding to purchase specialized equipment for play and skills learning, which it hopes to acquire through community donations and foundation grants.

"We have a lot of specialized toys that we use and we want to build up a science (play centre) and a carpentry centre for kids to build and pretend to play," said Baile.

"We already have a house centre and a learning centre. With the (different play centres) children can learn things like how to measure through play and what their talents are.

"It's through play that children build skills. With the carpentry centre they use their motor skills turning screws, (they use) hand-eye coordination, and look at how to design something, so it's imaginative play as well."