Breana Kelly’s son, Rayson, graduated from SIRCH’s School’s Cool program in 2024, while her daughter, Rue, received the cap and gown in 2025.
Kelly said she was “devastated” to learn SIRCH is this year cancelling the six-week summer program that prepares children for kindergarten.
She said her nephew is starting school in September and she would have liked him to have been exposed to the program.
“I obviously saw major benefits with both my children in that program, so I was hoping that he would get to go because I do believe it makes or breaks the transition from either home or daycare to kindergarten. I think it just really sets them off on the right foot, and sets them up for success.”
Kelly said her children have varying personalities, so got different things from School’s Cool. There was literacy and math, but to her it was the emotional foundation and predictability around going to school that stood out.
“Kids thrive on routine.” She said their program was at Archie Stouffer in Minden, where Rayson and Rue now go, so they learned how to get to class and know the actual classroom. School’s Cool “set the foundation for what school was going to look like.”
She added the kids made friends with others starting in September. They knew the routines of lunch and recess. With Rayson being born in 2020, and thus a COVID baby, it was especially important. It also eased Kelly’s mind as she had not attended ASES herself.
Lack of funding
SIRCH said last week it’s shelving the program for 2026 due to a lack of funding.
Marketing manager Laurie McCaig said School’s Cool had been going for 25 years, with hundreds of children in Haliburton County entering kindergarten with language and math skills at grade level, and with confidence.
SIRCH executive director Gena Robertson said for many years, funding for School’s Cool was partially funded by the federal Community Action Program for Children (CAPC) grant. Robertson said SIRCH had to reapply for CAPC funding for a further four-year term starting in 2026, and the funding was improved but it no longer covered early learning.
Robertson said finding funding for the charitable organization’s out-of-the-box programs, services, resources and social enterprises, is always a challenge.
She said they hope to bring School’s Cool back for the summer of 2027. Asked how they would pay for it, Robertson conceded “that’s a good question.” However, she said they would look for alternative sources of funding. She added they would be interested in talking with any County businesses or corporations that might be interested in sponsoring School’s Cool. Asked for an estimate of costs for the six-week program, she said $30,000.
SIRCH does charge parents a fee of $120. Robertson said they recognize families are struggling in the current economy and SIRCH does not want to raise that. SIRCH has operated the program virtually in the past, but Robertson said that is not the preferred option. She said while parents are educated to help their children with early academic learning, the kids do not get the socializing that is key to getting them ready for kindergarten.
Kelly hopes they can bring it back. She said Rayson and Rue still talk about School’s Cool “so obviously it was a great experience for them.”
