Save early childhood services in Massachusetts budget

Save early childhood services in state budget
Cape Cod Times
June 09, 2009

The all-important ages from birth to 3 were not mentioned in the front-page article May 28, “Study finds education reform incomplete.” Yet one of the signal accomplishments of the 1993 Education Reform Act was to create the Massachusetts Family Network Program, serving ages birth to 3 in universal access programs.

The original 10 MFN programs announced in September 1994 have grown to 42, serving over 25,000 families in 168 communities. These highly cost-effective programs now face a devastating cut that would reduce their funding as of July 1 to 27.5 percent of what it was a year ago.

This cut will drastically reduce for hundreds of Cape families the only programs connecting them to resources.

The hard-working board of the state Department of Early Education and Care, which inherited the MFN program from the Department of Education, is scheduled to meet at Barnstable High School today from 1-4 p.m. That meeting will allow time for the public to make brief statements about their concerns.

Meanwhile, the state budget is now in the hands of the conference committee. We ask these legislators, and the EEC board, to cut programs proportionately and not give death-blows to selected services, especially those that provide uniquely valuable support to young children.

Elizabeth Aldred

Cape Cod Children’s Place