We know the value of education in determining the direction of a child's life. We know that this essential process begins at birth, not at 5. We also know that lack of education cripples the promise of that young life. Good early childhood education sets the direction of a child on the path to success, building intellectual curiosity and life skills that can lead to a better life for the child and his/her eventual offspring.
Why on earth do we now hear of cuts in this foundation-of-life-building portion of public education?
Very young children are establishing learning and social skills that form the basis of everything that comes later. New York state has a network of education professionals who provide guidance in these essential years and are engaged in the Quality Rating System that will make their work even more effective. Any cut in funding will shake that web and cut off hope for many of the young.
Counties that have gotten tangled in the misguided philosophy that all government assistance is evil are also contributing to harming young children by denying funding matches from the state to families of "working poor."
A lost generation of children, sacrificed to ideology and avoidable budget constraints, is a tragedy that we must — and can — avoid. We will never get more bang for our buck than in teaching the very young to love learning and provide them with the tools to realize successful and rewarding lives.
CINDY VEAZEY
Yonkers