Policy Council

I serve as a Parent Representative on Policy Council for my daughter's preschool.  It really does make me feel empowered in a "knowledge is power" kinda way.  In it, I do get to vote on measures and do have somewhat of a voice in what happens behind the scenes.  I am one of about 60, though, so my opinion does feel relatively small.

Tonight, I did learn some interesting things about the protocol for contacting legislators about issues that are important and how to possibly save programs from elimination.  Many programs and social services are facing cuts of 10%, including Head Start.  I also learned that writing a letter/postcard (there was some debate about which has more weight) to a legislator about issues has more weight and value than an e-mail.  They also said that, statistically, 1 letter represents 100 people.

Writing this type of communication is pretty simple and just needs the following pieces:  introduction (name, relation to issue), that you're a registered voter, and why this issue is important.  I plan on doing this to try to save some programs, or at least have them re-examined.

I was a little irked at the way it was simplified, though.  I understand that they were trying to make a point in saying that without Head Start, many kids will go without preschool and be unprepared for Kindergarten.  When my son was preschool aged, I was the sole provider and was working a temp job that put us $20 over the income limit for him to attend preschool.  Even though we were living on just my unemployment, we managed to come up with the $200 per month tuition for him to attend preschool.  I know not every parent can afford this amount, but with some sacrifice, we were able to.  Just think how much money you spend in a month on cigarettes/alcohol/fast food/lattes/other vices.  Does it come to more than $200 per month? Granted, the education that my daughter is getting is probably better, as she attends school four days per week versus two and they emphasize Kindergarten readiness more than manners and social interaction, but I feel that my son was more prepared for Kindergarten attending there than not at all.

I still feel a bit like a whisper compared to all of the other opinions that will be lobbying for cuts to be made to save their program versus the ones that I would prefer to be spared, but at least I'm trying to have my voice heard and to speak up for others in similar situations.  That is, after all, why I joined Policy Council.

Thanks for reading!

 - Vanessa