IN A DILEMMA.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 266, 9 November 1932, Page 5

IN A DILEMMA.

KINDERGARTEN MOVEMENT.

PROBLEM OF CHILD BETWEEN

5 AND 6 YEARS

MONEY AND TEACHERS LACKING.

"It 16 a serious position and we hardly know what to do," eaid Mr. G. O'Halloraii, secretary an<l treasurer of the Auckland Kindergarten Association, when discussing today with a "Star" representative the difficulties of the association in knowing what to do with children between the ages of live and six. "These children," he said, "are debarred from entering the primary schools, since the minimum age has been raised to six, and our kindergarten system only provides for tho teaching of children between tho ages of three and five."

The secretary said that parents were pressing tho various kindergartens to take their children aged live for another year, but the association had not the funds, due to the withdrawal of the Government subsidy. "A child beyond the age of five years has arrived at that stage when it wants to stop singing songs and to learn arithmetic," eaid Mr. O'Halloran. "And if we provided a special course for these children between the ages of iivc and six, we would be overlapping on the (lovenment'e course in the primary schools." He said that the association was prepared to take the child between five and six, so long as it did not prevent a child aged three from entering. In cases where it did, the older child would have to go.