A Preschool Payoff for D.C. Children

As the District of Columbia contemplates which services to cut and which to spare as revenue dwindles, Mayor Adrian Fenty and the D.C. Council ought to consider the long-term health of our community and continue investing in the D.C. Parks and Recreation Department's Preschool Cooperative Play Program. As a parent with two young children in the program, I am writing to share why I believe this unsung program should continue.

At 10 a.m. every weekday in recreation centers across the city, parents join dedicated professionals as partners in the early education of their children. According to the University of California at Davis, the first co-operative nursery school in the United States was established in Chicago in 1916. In the 90 years that have followed, co-op preschools were formed in communities across the United States. Some are run as private nonprofits and others are organized by local governments, as we do here in the nation's capital.

My children, Emma and Neil, are in their second year in the preschool co-operative play program. They entered the program as "frogs" at the Palisades Recreation Center when they were 2. Today, Emma and Neil are thriving. Along with their peers, they are learning basic socialization skills such as learning to take turns, as well as cognitive skills through music, painting and craftmaking.

The major reason the children are doing so well is that all of the parents at the program are active participants in the education of their children. Parents at each school go through the same criminal and health screenings that paid professionals undergo, and because parents volunteer every day, each site needs only one teacher to maintain a high adult-to-child ratio, a hallmark of successful preschool programs. The participation of parents, along with the sponsorship of the city, also makes the preschool co-op play program affordable. Many private preschools are out of reach for low-income and middle-class families. Combined with the significant benefits of parental engagement, the preschool co-op play program is a valuable resource for parents of all incomes.

I know Emma and Neil will be ready to excel when they enter the D.C. Public Schools system next fall. In addition, I now have a deep appreciation of my need to actively participate in my children's education. This is something the District desperately needs more of, not less.

To be sure, co-op preschools are not for every family. Nevertheless, with so much attention and money directed at fixing broken public schools and saving a generation of children who entered school without enough preparation, the mayor and the council should take note of an affordable, quality program that is actually working to prepare D.C. children for formal schooling.

-- Jeffrey Travers

Washington

The writer is director of external relations at Fight for Children.