By Kellah Lavoie

Potty time becomes easier for local schools

Apr 8, 2011 | 6:38 AM

Life will be getting a little easier for some pre-kindergarten teachers.

The provincial government is handing over money to have bathrooms installed in pre-kindergarten classrooms.

Mike Hurd, superintendent of facilities with Saskatchewan Rivers School Division, said they funding was approved before they even applied for it.

“Early Learning and Child Care had already gotten funding for across the province for any school where they had pre-k programs and weren’t able to have washroom facilities right in the classroom,” he said.

“Wherever there is the ability to put a washroom in, they have asked us to do that.”

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He said they will be adding them into Kinistino School, Canwood Community School, King George School,

Riverside Community School, St. Louis Community School, T.D. Michael Community School and W.J. Berezowsky School. Each bathroom will cost between $10,000 to $12,000, he said.

“I think typically in the schools, some will be more than other because it will not be as easy to tie into the existing plumbing,” he said

While it wasn’t something the school division was looking to do, but Hurd said they will be nice to have.

“It helps the program, that’s for sure, when they don’t have to chase down the hallway to take the little ones to the washroom, they can take care of it right there,” he said.

Not all schools with pre-kindergarten classes need the update. A number of newer schools, such as Vincent Massey and Westview already have them — the schools are a pretty evenly combination of those with and without a bathroom for the youngest in the school.

“One might have a washroom and one might be using another classroom that was freed up, so we are going to try and put washrooms in those,” said Hurd.

The money that is being used is for pre-kindergarten programs across the province, said a Ministry of Education spokeswoman.

It is being used for all kinds of projects and was left over capital dollars at the end of the fiscal year.

Bathrooms are one of many projects, she said explaining it was not a specific need, just one of many ideas.

Hurd said it is good for the school division.

Work has already started at Kinistino School.

“We’re doing one right now in a school where the classroom is available to us,” he said.

The other six will be completed over the summer holidays.

klavoie@panow.com