Crossing My Fingers & Toes for Free, Full-Day Kindergarten
Like so many other local families, I've been watching the news out of each Framingham School Committee meeting as eagerly as episodes of Mad Men.
The good news is that it appears that everyone is in favor of implementing free, full-day kindergarten across Framingham's elementary schools. The budgetary details have been worked out. All systems go?
But, wait, it still needs to be approved through the Town Meeting later this month.
Parents of five year olds across the town are waiting with baited breath.
Why does it matter so much to us? Here's why it matters to me and my family:
- Free - Who doesn't like free? Truth is, we were prepared to pay for full-day as we did for our older son. In fact, the cost of full-day kindergarten felt like a huge discount compared to the cost of preschool. But for many, it's not an option. Implementing free, full-day kindergarten will be a huge break for large numbers of families across town. Not just for their wallets but also for the two to three extra hours they'll get (to work and/or organize busy lives) instead of having to pick up kids in the middle of the day.
- Full-day - While we all acknowledge that "full" in this context is a misnomer, the fact is if we don't get universal full-day, we get thrown into a lottery system and may end up with half-day. This element of uncertainty makes me very nervous. Having to wait till late May or even early June to find out makes me hyperventilate! If we don't get full-day kindergarten, it will be a huge problem for our family. My husband and I both work full-time. Our son attends an after-school program that does not accommodate half-day kindergartners. Will we have to find separate transportation and care for our daugher? How will this all work logistically? How much extra will it cost? Is it even worth my working?
Of course, I'm coming at this from how this decision impacts me and my husband. But what about the kids? In my opinion, three hours of school barely counts as school, especially for those children that are already used to spending all day in a preschool setting.
So many questions, so much angst. I know I'm not alone in this. Please, Town Meeting people, do us all a favor and pass free, full-day kindergarten so we all know where we stand.
Yours with baited breath and clutching a brown paper bag,
One of Many Anxious Working Mothers
Samantha is a working Mom, muddling through career, parenting and life one day at a time - with a smile on her face. She blogs at Keeping The Glass Half Full.
Dan DiPasquale
8:58 am on Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Most times than not, I'm discouraged about decision the town members make on many topics - maybe this time they will vote on the side of the tax payer.
Kim Poness
10:42 am on Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Dan - what precinct are you in? Do you ever call your TMMs to let them know how you want them to vote on the articles? I'm asking because I'm a new TMM, and wondering exactly how I am going to figure out how everyone in my precinct feels about the articles. I thought about sending a mailer, but that would cost me a small fortune. As a taxpayer, any ideas about how I can solicit opinions?
kylon
10:38 am on Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Samantha
I'm crossing everything too, a budgetary break from having to continue on the expensive childcare ride would be appreciated. Above all full-day kindergarten is assimilating students into their school career. By investing in our children's education we are investing in our town.
Samantha McGarry
11:23 am on Friday, April 13, 2012
I so agree, thanks for the comment.
Dan DiPasquale
11:06 am on Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Hey Kim -
my comments stem mostly from the recent tax hike that I received recently - It seemed my rate when up much higher than others in the area, but I’m working on that thru an abatement. I’ve been here awhile but I'm still trying to grasp the "town member" thing, I grew up having a Mayor run the city, so having multiple precincts with multiple members making all the decisions is hard for me. I am Prec. 11
Jim Rizoli
11:24 am on Tuesday, April 10, 2012
I would venture to say you'll get your full day Kindergarten.....
We might be stuck over a barrel over this one. We're going to dammed if we do dammed if we don't
But the dark side......Framingham will be even a bigger magnet to the so called lower income people who want to use it as a baby sitter as they work their three jobs.
I'm talking the illegals here.
So build it and they will come....AND THEY WILL COME!
You think you're tax bills a high now you ain't seen nothing yet.
Remember someone has to pay for it ....Nothing is FREE.
Jim@ccfiile.com
Dan DiPasquale
11:39 am on Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Jim whats not "fair" is the number of households that do not pay the 3400.00 a year whether they pass this or not. I thing I remember seeing a statistic, out of 600 kindergartners 240 paid the fee, I figured its time I win one.
Jim Rizoli
11:47 am on Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Dan...the lower income mostly (illegals parents) don't pay squat!
They get FREE everything and no one complains.
What bothers me about that is some of them are not "poor" they have more money than you and me but they hide it well.
No questions asked.....then they send a lot of that money back home and store up their riches there.
Unaceptable!
Jim@ccfiile.com
Dan DiPasquale
11:54 am on Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Well I wasn't going that far....I just meant its my turn
Julia Burke
5:35 pm on Thursday, April 19, 2012
Can understand your angst about this topic. Wasn't aware that there were any school districts that don't have 'full' day (and thus, free) kindergarten, especially with standardized curriculum expanding from state to nationwide standards. Yikes! Wow, I hope that the Town Meeting People make the right decision and vote in full day, free kindergarten so that the children in your school district have the opportunity to be on the same playing field as so many other children nationwide! And it would also serve to help all parents, but the primary objective should be aligning education with current and nationwide strategic objectives in that field.
Kevin Mullen
12:50 pm on Wednesday, April 11, 2012
I am keeping my fingers crossed that this can all make its way from proposal to reality. With our neighboring communities already one step ahead of us it is important that we can offer this as well. And as it has already been noted, a small percentage are paying the full fee anyway. I also come from a household with two working parents and navigating the half-day option sounds like a nightmare to us.
Samantha McGarry
11:23 am on Friday, April 13, 2012
Keep everything crossed Kevin!
Jim Rizoli
11:23 am on Friday, April 13, 2012
Like I said I'm for all day K, but the fallout will be devastating a few years down the road. American families will be out kidded 3-1 by those from other countries.
So add it up folks......Where will we put the overflow? Right now we have around 800 kids imagine when it gets to 1500......You think we're going to be able to keep up with it. This will cost millions of dollars we don't have.
Jim@ccfiile.com
Kevin Mullen
12:39 pm on Friday, April 13, 2012
Jim - where have you come up with a nearly doubling of the kindergarten class size? I can't tell what time frame you are referencing but it seems to be you are indicating this will happen in "a few years down the road."
Bob Berman
3:45 pm on Friday, April 13, 2012
Kevin, he is making it up. That's what he does.
Jim Rizoli
6:36 pm on Friday, April 13, 2012
Kevin.....Build it and they will come.
Bob....Making it up...LOL Just like the 800 or so kids that are in the program now.
I guess I must of made that up too.
Get ready to open up your pockets even more. Sure you will get FREE kindergarten now (if we vote it through) but you will pay on the other end in your taxes. I guess I'm making that up too!
Jim@ccfiile.com
Joe Rizoli
5:36 pm on Saturday, April 14, 2012
Full day kindergarten will start a new trend and will be the start of a new wave of Illegal Immigrants coming to Framingham.
This is the yellow brick road they've been waiting for. Unless those with great foresight see this happening and STOP these people from coming here eights months pregnant with their anchor babies, and STOP businesses from coming here that hire ILLEGAL WORKERS we are putting upon ourselves and definitely our children a financial mess down the line. You people can not to see this? This is like the Adult ESL Plus program, The good of the program comes with a substantial number of riders that really shouldn't be in the program. Full day kindergarten is great for those working parents but what comes with it, the likelihood of tons of Illegal aliens who could possibly out number the American children, it was originally meant for, to over run the system. By that time you won't be able to stop it.
You have to STOP these people from working here and make sure the LAWS are enforced. If you don't you'll have a catastrophe waiting to happen. Look into the future here. It's like taking a drug the heals one disease but has deathly side effects later on. Is it worth it?
Joe Rizoli
Walt Magee
10:34 pm on Monday, April 16, 2012
I know it was in the "Dark Ages" but I never had a Kindergarten to attend and I ended up with only a Masters plus 30. Poor me.
Jim Rizoli
1:39 pm on Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Come to think about it...I never attended kindergarten either...
When did it become a big thing? Seems to me it's become the towns babysitter.
Jim@ccfiile.com
Dan Fredonia
10:51 am on Wednesday, April 18, 2012
You and your brother ALSO stayed back in the 5th grade, according to your own admission during one of your failed campaigns at a debate a couple of years ago.
How did THAT work for ya?
Jim Rizoli
9:38 pm on Tuesday, April 17, 2012
S.O.....
So you think becoming a city is going to solve pur problems?
Please tell us how? If anything town hall expenses will be more IMO.
You actually think people running this town will ever be accountable?
City/Town...same problems. How about solving our problems now and go from there. Things will never get better in this town as long as we continue to welcome those that beat people up with baseball bats, and then teach them English.
Jim@ccfiile.com
Joe Rizoli
9:38 pm on Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Gee Walt, just think, it's people with all those "Masters" degrees that don't have plowboy common sense that are running our towns and are elected as town managers.
Joe Rizoli
Dan Fredonia
10:51 am on Wednesday, April 18, 2012
As oppsed to who? Someone who stayed back in the 5th grade? (Back in my day, we called those poor souls, "special")
Kim Poness
11:11 am on Wednesday, April 18, 2012
@Dan Fredonia - while I'm perfectly aware that the Rizoli's are more than capable of defending themselves, I feel compelled to point out that your comment was incredibly rude. My own son was held back in the 6th grade, and he's gone on to be a successful, gainfully employed, property-owning, tax-paying adult. I would urge you to self-delete your comment. Just plain not nice, don't you think?
Jim Rizoli
12:11 pm on Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Dan....Lets get the facts straight....WE both were held back in 1st grade....
Jim@ccfiile.com
John Sullivan
12:58 pm on Wednesday, April 18, 2012
@Jim - Does that mean Framingham taxpayers, back in the day, got stiffed with the bill for an extra year for each of you? You should be more supportive of school funding now, after all the taxpayers did for you back then. If only you had full-day K, maybe you wouldn't have needed to repeat first!!! I am joking of course, but the serious point is that while not everyone needs full day-K as much as everyone else (some will get a masters plus 30, whatever that is), there are kids who really do benefit from the full day. And that might save them from needing to repeat a grade, or get special education in later grades, which is WAY more expensive. Full day K will be a cost up front this year, but in the future the town will get most of the cost reimbursed by the state. It should be a no-brainer to pass full-day K. It is not about providing babysitting. It is about giving all kids the foundation they need to succeed in later years, and reduce the overall cost of education.
Jim Rizoli
1:14 pm on Wednesday, April 18, 2012
John....We're living in a whole different time period.
I'm all for all day K, but the collateral damage might be worse as Framingham becomes a destination for all the people from out of the country.
It is allready bad as most of the newcomers now are children of illegals.
I don't see any "reduction" as time goes on. This is taking from one pocket and putting into the other.
Jim@ccfiile.com
David Nolta
1:37 pm on Wednesday, April 18, 2012
What do the kids think? (I know, it's crazy, and it's even crazier that I'm serious...)
Kevin Mullen
1:39 pm on Wednesday, April 18, 2012
@Jim - Do you know if Natick has had a spillover problem of illegals resulting from the implementation of full day K there way back in 1999. Based on your assumptions I would have expected people to be moving over there just to take advantage of the system.
I think its more about keeping Framingham attractive to many of us who are already working hard and watching the surrounding communities implement it. To not do it will harm the town as people go to other communities that do have it. Plus as others have noted, right now anyone that can't afford it isn't paying anyway.
Jim Rizoli
2:34 pm on Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Kevin.....Natick doesn't compare....It all has to do with rentals.
Natick is more expenseve first of all, and they don't have the amount of rentals.
Second...Natick doesn't have a huge illegal alien population who have taken over the downtown.
Framingham is "unique" to say the least...and that uniqueness is costing us millions.
Jim@ccfiile.com