British Columbia

Vancouver School Board starts revealing kindergarten lottery winners today

The Vancouver School Board has started to notify parents today if their child has won the kindergarten lottery.

Anxious parents await the result of a draw to determine if their child gets in at the neighbourhood school

After years of delays the new Crosstown Elementary School will finally open in downtown Vancouver in September 2017. (VSB)

The Vancouver School Board has started to notify parents today if their child has won the kindergarten lottery.

A number of schools are feeling the squeeze with too many neighbourhood children wanting in but not enough spaces in the classes.

So the VSB is holding draws to pick which students will get in at their neighbourhood school and which will have to go elsewhere.

VSB associate superintendent David Nelson says he knows the situation is stressful for parents.

"There are eight schools that are not able to accommodate their catchment kindergarten registration as of today," he said. 

"The areas of the city where we see an enrolment crunch is the downtown core, the Cambie corridor and False Creek area."

Following a defeat in the Supreme Court the B.C. government has been forced to commit $330 million to restore smaller class sizes. For kindergarten that means a reduction from a maximum of 22 children per class down to 20.

The VSB website says parent will be notified by email of their child's status.

Children who aren't selected in the draw will be placed at another school in the district.

With files from Deborah Goble