Concerns About

‘Enhanced Day Care’

To the Editor:

I was unable to attend the BOE meeting last Tuesday, June 5, but have since watched it online. During the meeting, one of the items up for discussion was full-day kindergarten (FDK) and an alternative called “enhanced day care” was proposed. I think it important to point everyone to this video.

http://www.newtown-ct.gov/Public_Documents/NewtownCT_WebDocs/videoarchivent

Choose BOE Meeting 6/5/12, from time position 2:14:50 to 2:28 .

Please note that I have a child entering kindergarten in the fall, but I am not in favor of implementing FDK at the expense of teachers and the same quality education that we are currently offering in our schools. That said, the enhanced day care option concerns me on many levels.

Cost. Enhanced day care has been positioned as a “win-win” for everyone due to the proposed cost avoidance. For me and for the majority of those to whom I’ve spoken, we support FDK for the educational benefits, not because we’re looking for lower cost day care. By implementing FDK, we provide children with a solid foundation of learning which helps us avoid costly remediation at the higher grade levels. That is the type of “win-win” I’d like to see for everyone in town. Spend a little now (and implement FDK) so we don’t have to spend more at a later date (and try to play catch-up with education!).

Further, enhanced day care seems to me to create an atmosphere of those who have vs those who have not. This is a dangerous precedent for any community of people and this town is already struggling to be unified. I fear this proposal further drives a wedge within a town already divided. Providing a “pay to learn” option where only some of the students participate seems to me to create more confusion and gives only a subset of our children the “enhanced” learning.

I fear that this proposal is off the mark for what the community is actually looking to gain through the implementation of FDK and in the discussion of reducing our costs.

Thank You,

Kris Powers

75 High Rock Road, Sandy Hook                                 June 13, 2012