Only 1 pre-primary site announced this spring won't be ready for start of school year

An elementary school in the Clayton Park area of Halifax is the only one of the newest sites announced this spring that will not be ready for pre-primary when students return to school nextmonth.

The province announced 80 new sites in April, bringing the total to more than 200.

Officials with the Halifax Regional Education Centre said they could not find enough space within Duc d'Anville Elementary, or any nearby location. So they are designing new portables with washroom facilities to accommodate four classrooms.

It is expected that those classrooms will be ready in October.

"We know how important this program is for families and for kids," said Education Minister ZachChurchill.

'Not an ideal situation'

In an email, Steve Gallagher, a senior official with the education centre,said the delay "is not an ideal situation for families." He said everyone who registered has been contacted and officials are working "as quickly as possible."

Pre-primary classes for Burton EttingerElementary in Fairview will be set up off-site due to space issues. They will be located just down the street on Sunnybrae Avenue.

Pre-primary for John MacNeilElementary in north-end Dartmouth will be hosted nearby at John Martin Junior High.

According to Churchill, 50 more pre-primary sites will open in 2020 and a total of 5,000 Nova Scotia children are expected to be enrolled.

He said before the program started, only one in four pre-school children were involved in early-learning classes.