Letter to the Editor: Consider Full-Day Kindergarten

Dear Mr. Ribon,

When  we moved here in 2009, I was aware Fair Haven offered only 1/2 day Kindergarten. However, I was hoping things would change by the time my children (age4, 2.5 & 9 months) entered the public school system. We pay extremely high taxes in addition to a hefty tuition bill for Private Pre-K. Since full day Kindergarten in Fair Haven is still years away, we will probably have to send our children to private Kindergarten or enrichment. I hold two Master's in Education and I am reminded of FAPE - free and appropriate education. Today when the standards and expectations of academic achievement are rising (as demonstrated by the Standardized Test Slide Show last evening), so should the quality of public education. I feel there is a serious disconnect between the two in Fair Haven.

If  private Kindergarten is not an option for my children, how can I be assured that they won't fall behind? How will they compete with children in other districts?  I don't have to tell you or the Board members how crucial these early years are for academic development.

You mentioned that once Fair Haven children are past Kindergarten you will worry about issues in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd grades. You are absolutely right - except I worry about that now. If buildings are currently reaching full capacity, what will they be like in 5, 10 or 15 years?  Fair Haven continues to draw young families from a wide area because of its wonderful values and sense of community. Towns like ours are unique and more families will want to establish their roots here. How will we accommodate the incoming children and offer them a superb education if we can barely do that now.

This is a town where parents care about their children's educations. From last evening's meeting, I gathered that a major concern was a lack of transparency on the part of the Board. Would it be possible to post progress on the BOE's website if you don't want a formal committee? Could you develop a Facebook page or some other internet-based forum where open discussion could be facilitated? I'm sure that plenty of parents could offer insight and suggestions and would welcome the transparency.

Lastly I watched several people leave before last evening's meeting ended. There is a huge push for full-day Kindergarten and it deserves extended time for discussion on this topic as well as status updates, comments and questions. I hope this is something you will consider.

I appreciate your attention to this matter and I look forward to your response.

Kindest regards.

Very truly yours,

Meredith Barber

Want to share your thoughts and opinions on whether full-day Kindergarten is needed in Fair Haven? Post here.