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Schools: State must pay for new program

By Rebecca Piro
Tuesday, June 22, 2004

The state Department of Education has set its sight on improving early-childhood education, and Greater Lowell school districts say they'll welcome proposed changes with open arms.

But they have one condition: New DOE regulations must be accompanied by more money to implement them.

Preschool for every child and full-day kindergarten classes ideas being eyed by the state are two programs Chelmsford would have implemented long ago, said Karen Mazza, the district's assistant superintendent for curriculum.

The only thing stopping Chelmsford is a lack of money and space.

"We've long believed those are beneficial and worthwhile," Mazza said. "If the state really wants to encourage full-day kindergarten and more preschool for a larger segment of the population, they are going to need to put massive funding into it beyond the Chapter 70 funding we receive now."

Chelmsford offers a small preschool program that serves 91 children and has had a waiting list in the past. Carol Fredette, special-education director for the district who also oversees preschool programs, opened a seventh class in January to accommodate the overflow of students.

The district offers half-day kindergarten at all five of its elementary schools. Full-day kindergarten is preferable, Fredette said, but currently unattainable.

"You'd need to have, physically, more rooms," Mazza said.

Rep. Kevin Murphy, a Lowell Democrat, said the state will prove how serious it is about change by backing its words with money. Legislators have approved $78.7 million for early literacy and early-childhood education grants next fiscal year.

The state also plans to create a new department to handle all early-childhood education, combining education and related human-services issues.

"The earlier you discover deficiencies in a child and work on them, the better the education is in the end for that child," Murphy said. "We understand what an important issue it is."

Some changes, which could begin as early as this fall, couldn't come at a better time for Lowell. The city has depended on a federal grant for the last two years to cover the salaries of eight employees in the district's early-childhood program, said coordinator Karen Tewhey. When the grant ends this month, the district will be forced to lay off those employees and shut down two early-childhood initiatives.

Those employees include early-literacy specialists who train staff and develop curriculum at community-based early-childhood programs, as well as early-literacy home visitors who visit immigrant families to support small children's language development.

"It's been a tremendously successful support, and it's a tremendous emotional support for these families," Tewhey said.

If regulations, accompanied by money, come from the state level soon, it can only benefit Lowell's programs, she added.

About 3,500 children ages 3 to 5 live in Lowell. Public preschool programs in the city serve about 420 of those children, and about 1,100 more are served by other programs, such as Head Start or private programs.

Lowell is ahead of the curve when it comes to kindergarten. The district launched full-day kindergarten years ago and has received extra financial help from the state for doing so.

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