TO THE EDITOR:
The other week I received a phone call from a citizen who asked when more child care subsidy slots would be available. I subsequently learned that there are approximately 500 individuals on the waiting list. She works and has difficulty affording child care.
I had no encouragement I could give her. Is this the situation that we wish more citizens to face?
Smart Start is facing debilitating cuts in administrative costs but also in subsidies. Several hundred additional families may lose their child care assistance, pre-school funding and/or quality enhancement, jeopardizing their ability to work.
Pending legislation would eliminate Family Support and Early Intervention and Health Programs.
Do we really want to eliminate these programs for high-risk families with young children? Programs such as these support positive child development and parenting which can prevent costly services such as special education in the future.
More at Four, which targets at risk children, is another program slated for budget cuts. Yet research has repeatedly shown that More at Four children have improved third grade reading and math scores.
I hope that all citizens tell their representatives that they will not tolerate destroying years of early childhood progress that has given thousands of children an opportunity to succeed.
Please contact Bill Faison, Joe Hackney, Verla Insko and Eleanor Kinnaird.
