ST. ALBANS CITY — Gov. Jim Douglas and legislative candidates from around the county toured the Barlow Street Preschool Friday morning, in an event organized by Pre-K Now, an advocacy group.
Under Act 62 – which states that the first five years of a child’s life are crucial to development -- schools may choose to offer pre-K programs for three and four year olds. Currently, St. Albans City has enough pre-K capacity to have a slot for every four-year-old, according to Michelle Spence, Early Childhood Education coordinator for Franklin Central and Franklin Northwest Supervisory Unions. To achieve that capacity, the supervisory union has worked with local childcare providers willing to provide 10 hours per week of early childhood education to the four year olds in their care, Spence said. In order to qualify, providers must have a license in early childhood education. Mary Barrosse Schwartz, who organized the tour, said the purpose of the tour was to familiarize legislators and potential legislators with early childhood education programs and the children themselves. “Their needs are important, even though they don’t vote,” Schwartz said. Senate candidate Randy Brock asked what the long-term benefits are and what the evidence is which demonstrates those benefits. Spence replied that there are several national studies showing the long-term benefits. “If that gap is not closed early on, it is very hard to close it later,” Spence said referring to performance gaps between at-risk children and other children. In Franklin County, there is data showing participation of at risk children in the program increased 65 percent when the program was opened to all children, Spence said. Asked about what benefit there is in early childhood education for children who are not at risk, Spence said those children can teach the at-risk children by modeling such things as how to make friends. Sen. Sara Kittell, who supported Act 62, said her main concern is limited access to the programs. She would like to see every four-year-old have the opportunity to attend an early childhood program if their parents chose. She believes the programs can save the state money in the long run. Republican legislative candidate Lynn Dickinson compared early childhood education to a vaccine, saying that by investing in children when they’re young, the state can avoid problems later. “There’s more bang for the buck,” Dickinson said. Schwartz said her group would be working on increasing the number of qualified early childhood teachers. Studies show that children benefit most from having teachers who understand early childhood development, according to Schwartz. Parents, too, can benefit from highly trained teachers. In St. Albans there are monthly Building Bright Futures meetings to discuss the needs of children in all of the region's the early education programs. Parents can attend those meetings as well as receiving help from their child's classroom teachers about strategies to use at home, and home visits, if the parents wish, Spence explained.
Under Act 62 – which states that the first five years of a child’s life are crucial to development -- schools may choose to offer pre-K programs for three and four year olds. Currently, St. Albans City has enough pre-K capacity to have a slot for every four-year-old, according to Michelle Spence, Early Childhood Education coordinator for Franklin Central and Franklin Northwest Supervisory Unions. To achieve that capacity, the supervisory union has worked with local childcare providers willing to provide 10 hours per week of early childhood education to the four year olds in their care, Spence said. In order to qualify, providers must have a license in early childhood education. Mary Barrosse Schwartz, who organized the tour, said the purpose of the tour was to familiarize legislators and potential legislators with early childhood education programs and the children themselves. “Their needs are important, even though they don’t vote,” Schwartz said. Senate candidate Randy Brock asked what the long-term benefits are and what the evidence is which demonstrates those benefits. Spence replied that there are several national studies showing the long-term benefits. “If that gap is not closed early on, it is very hard to close it later,” Spence said referring to performance gaps between at-risk children and other children. In Franklin County, there is data showing participation of at risk children in the program increased 65 percent when the program was opened to all children, Spence said. Asked about what benefit there is in early childhood education for children who are not at risk, Spence said those children can teach the at-risk children by modeling such things as how to make friends. Sen. Sara Kittell, who supported Act 62, said her main concern is limited access to the programs. She would like to see every four-year-old have the opportunity to attend an early childhood program if their parents chose. She believes the programs can save the state money in the long run. Republican legislative candidate Lynn Dickinson compared early childhood education to a vaccine, saying that by investing in children when they’re young, the state can avoid problems later. “There’s more bang for the buck,” Dickinson said. Schwartz said her group would be working on increasing the number of qualified early childhood teachers. Studies show that children benefit most from having teachers who understand early childhood development, according to Schwartz. Parents, too, can benefit from highly trained teachers. In St. Albans there are monthly Building Bright Futures meetings to discuss the needs of children in all of the region's the early education programs. Parents can attend those meetings as well as receiving help from their child's classroom teachers about strategies to use at home, and home visits, if the parents wish, Spence explained.
See also PreK Nows blog regarding this site visit at http://prekvt.blogspot.com/2008/10/barlow-street-center-st-albans-vt.html
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