Editor’s note: This commentary is by Mary Lou Rylands-Isaacson, of East Craftsbury, who is a retired professor of music and a founding member of the Craftsbury Chamber Players. She is a member of the Craftsbury School Board, though the views expressed are her own. She has served on a variety of boards in the area. This is a letter she sent to Gov. Phil Scott on Jan. 7.
Dear Governor Scott,
[T]hank you for your email response of December 27, 2017. I am once again writing to you to share a concept that I believe would benefit rural communities and be an excellent step in supporting young families and children.
You have stated that you want to support early childhood learning and care. Science has shown us that the first five years of life develop the brain and create the necessary neurological pathways for life. And most experts would agree that no distinction should be made between “classroom” learning and childcare in those early years. Learning takes place every waking hour of a young child’s day. Thus I want to suggest that childcare, PreK and K should be seamless. Small, rural schools could become Centers for Early Childhood Care and Education to provide this seamless approach. Funding to renovate and set up such facilities would save small schools, support young families and build cooperative relationships between local adjacent townships who share this common need. This would be innovative. Would you entertain such a proposal as a pilot project?
Assisting small schools to create such centers would be an excellent investment for Vermont’s future. The buildings and facilities exist and I believe there would be strong local support for such a program. At present, childcare facilities simply do not exist and parents cannot even take advantage of the PreK offerings because they must work and need full, workday care. Each community could create its own operational model which could evolve over time. I do believe that local citizens, school boards and businesses would come together to support this concept.
No town or village wants to lose its school. The loss of the school is the death of that town. As I wrote before, no family with young children will choose to locate in a town without a school. Without children, there is no future. Yet, the future for our young parents is grim. They cannot make it without our collective assistance. One has to be blind not to recognize that this is a national problem and not just a Vermont issue. Consolidation and closing small schools will not mitigate this future. Helping our young families just might. With good childcare, the parents can work.
Full-time employment with benefits does not exist for the majority of millennials. Our young people are part-time workers, without contracts and benefits. Those with educations are not finding work in their fields and many are heavily burdened with student debt. How many young families can afford to pay $10,000 per year for childcare, for each child? The family support that used to exist, is no longer is there. Grandparents are still working and cannot stay home with the children. Most young people do not live near their parents. Even those who can afford the cost of childcare, are placed on waiting lists here in Vermont.
Instead of focusing entirely on attracting new workers from out-of-state, let us focus on the young people who are here, right now. They are working, both mothers and fathers, many are single parents, and they are working many jobs, still not making it. Must we wait until the jobs, those well-paying jobs, arrive before we do something for the children and families who need the help now? Must we consolidate and close schools, believing that the savings will be great and the resulting educations will be marvelous? Will Vermont be better off with the loss of many small towns and villages? Instead, let us transform these small schools in a way that will retain our young families and perhaps attract new families.
Everyone is looking for ways to cut the cost of education. Consolidation has been practiced, forced and examined for two or three decades all over the country. The savings often do not materialize and it is difficult to measure quality. Excellent students do well in larger schools. Students who are struggling often do better in smaller schools. Yet it is the local community that provides the oversight of its children. These are our children, we know them, we know each other and we look after them. Given the present opioid crisis and the trans-generational poverty in rural Vermont, the concept of Early Childhood Care and Education Centers has never been more needed. Early intervention with today’s babies will save money and lives twenty years ahead. Their parents will be free to work in today’s chaotic, part-time work schedules, knowing that their children are safe. Our small school buildings will not sit idle and unused.
Vermonters have been freelancers, part-timers and innovators forever. They earn livings doing multiple jobs and creating small businesses by using their talents, skills and willingness to work hard. Our young people are ready to do the same, but now the cost of everything essential, housing, childcare, healthcare, transportation, land and education is beyond what anyone can earn. It is time for collective care and assistance for our families and children. On a village level, Vermonters did this in the past. Now the state needs to help the villages continue the tradition. Let us begin with the babies and their parents by providing local childcare facilities and early education. Vermont’s businesses need these young families. Let us transform early childhood education and use our small school facilities for this purpose.
As Education Secretary Rebecca Holcombe and Human Services Secretary Al Gobeille begin to address the duplication of services between their two agencies, it seems to me that a more comprehensive approach and vision is needed. Simply separating the 3 and 4 year olds out for 10 hours of free education does not address the real early childhood needs. This is the moment to do something meaningful and forward-looking. Childhood education begins with infants. At the same time, the financial stability of the family is the greatest single factor in determining a child’s future. Parents MUST work. Children must be looked after. Local communities want to keep their small schools open and assist their young families. This could be a win-win for everyone. Thank you for your consideration.
