Deputy Premier and Education Minister Gordon Wyant was in Moose Jaw Thursday to visit a prekindergarten class at Palliser Heights School that is participating in the Government of Saskatchewan's Early Learning Intensive Support (ELIS) pilot program. 

According to the Government of Saskatchewan’s website, with funding from the Canada-Saskatchewan Early Learning and Child Care Agreement, the pilot has provided the resources to hire additional educational assistants to create inclusive classrooms that support participation from all students. 

"We know that the earlier that you provide supports for children, the more successful they're going to be in their educational journey," said Wyant Thursday. "Providing supports for pre-k allows them to be better prepared for when they get into kindergarten, especially children that have intensive needs." 

A portion of the funding was granted over two years ago from the federal government to support funding that was already in place by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education. 

Tony Baldwin, Director of Education for Prairie South School Division said the ELIS program has provided four half-time educational assistants for schools in Moose Jaw, two at Palliser Heights and two at Sunningdale School. 

Baldwin said that despite the continuing need for more funding, the ELIS program has already made a significant difference in both schools. 

“It's a concrete example of where a difference is being made, and so I think that's great,” said Baldwin. “In Prairie South, we're still operating with less funding now than we were several years ago, with more students. We have funding challenges, there's no questions about that, but I think it's important in the context of funding challenges to celebrate where celebration is due and I think the ELIS funding is one of those cases.”

The Sask Party has come under fire over the past few years for significantly cutting funding for public education in 2017. 

In this year’s provincial budget, $26 million dollars was added to this year's provincial education funding compared to last year's, however, representatives of the Saskatchewan Teacher's Federation (STF) and Saskatchewan School Board Association have said that it's not enough. 

Citing growing classroom sizes and fewer supports in classrooms, the STF implemented a new 24-hour online counselling service earlier this fall for its members to help address the rise of mental health and stress concerns in Saskatchewan's teachers. 

When asked if the ELIS program will help alleviate some of those concerns, Wyant said it's a step in the right direction. 

"We're certainly moving forward with having some conversations about expanding funding for public education. We've had the largest budget for public education in the history of the province this last year. We're certainly hearing some of the concerns that teachers are expressing, in terms of their classrooms, and we're committed to meet those challenges. You'll see a number of things that are going to come forward from the provincial government."

Wyant stated that the program so far has been a success, and it will continue to grow throughout the province in the coming months.