Good Evening & thank you for this opportunity to share my approval of the use of state funding to support high quality early childhood education programs. 

My name is Lisa Presson and I live in the town of Panton.  In 1990 I decided to quit work, which involved traveling 30 miles to Chittenden County, because I could not find high quality local childcare for my infant.  I am not alone.  80% of VT mothers with children under age 6 work outside the home. 

Three years later I was fortunate to become involved with the Evergreen Preschool where my son was able to attend after 3 months on their waiting list.  Evergreen was a wonderful experience for my son, and for my daughter who attended two years later.  It is fair to say that my experience with the Evergreen Preschool has changed my life.   After years of involvement with the preschool and providing childcare for a neighbor, I went on to attain my teaching license and an early childhood endorsement.  I am now the director of the NAEYC & STARS accredited, Evergreen Preschool that serves 32 children in Vergennes. 

Currently this private preschool of 24 years has 8 children on the waiting list; it is likely that these children will not have access to an accredited program this year.  For the 2007-2008 school year, there are already 24 children on the waiting list.  For 2008-2009 there are 13 children, and for 2009-2010, there are 4 children on the list.  It is obvious that high quality preschool is important to families. These parents want to insure that their child will have access to a community based early childhood education program.   Unfortunately, there is limited program availability.  In Vermont, 75% of child care centers have wait lists.

According to “The Story of a Child”, Vermont spends about $2 million each year on children who must repeat kindergarten, first, second or third grade.  Vermont ranks 47^th out of 50 states in education spending during the preschool years, and 50% are considered “not ready” for kindergarten.  I believe it is critically important for us to educate communities on the value of providing high quality, voluntary programs and services for 3 & 4 year olds.   One way to begin offering more opportunities for 3 & 4 year olds is by encouraging pre-existing accredited programs to establish learning partnerships with their local school districts.  

It is widely known that children with access to high quality early care and education spend less time in special education.  My teacher assistant is a retired special educator, one who worked 60-70 hours a week with a case load of 26-34 each year.  Upon starting work in 1979, there were 2 special educators in the department.  There are now 8 who still can't cover the increased cases.  Easily, over half the caseload did not have the opportunity for pre-school offerings and now the cost of educating them has skyrocketed.  Vermont spends $151 million on special education each year.

According to the Perry Preschool Project, a study of high risk youngsters in Michigan showed that every $1.00 invested in comprehensive early care and education resulted in $7.16 savings over 27 years.

As the saying goes, if you don’t pay now, you’ll pay later. 

Again, thank you for this opportunity.