Save Carlow University's Early Learning Center Preschool

The Early Learning Center Preschool at Carlow University has Undeniable Worth

Whereas, Carlow University's mission is as a women-centered, liberal arts institution engaging a diverse community in a process of life-long learning, scholarship, and research; in pursuit of intellectual endeavors; and to embrace an ethic of service for a just and merciful world,

Whereas, Carlow Early Learning Center preschool benefits women in their intellectual endeavors,

Whereas, Carlow Early Learning Center preschool provides work-study students from the University the opportunity to educate young children,

Whereas, Carlow Early Learning Center preschool provides student teaching opportunities for students in the University's Education program in a more diverse environment than offered at The Campus School at Carlow University,

Whereas, Carlow Early Learning Center preschool helps keep young men and women working in Pittsburgh,

Whereas, Carlow Early Learning Center preschool helps single parents maintain careers through acceptance of assistance program monies instead of standard tuition,

Whereas, Carlow Early Learning Center preschool makes it possible for families to keep their young children together,

Whereas, Carlow Early Learning Center preschool provides working parents with peace of mind regarding their children,

Whereas, Carlow Early Learning Center preschool is part of an entire program that provides a nurturing environment in which preemies, medically fragile, developmentally delayed and behaviorally challenged kids have and are now benefiting from,

Whereas, Carlow Early Learning Center preschool provides full year, full day care for young children age 6 weeks to 5 years through a cohesive and positive environment proven essential to Kindergarten readiness,

Whereas, Carlow Early Learning Center preschool makes it possible for children to have continuity of care from infancy through pre-kindergarten,

Whereas, Carlow Early Learning Center preschool provides excellent care for young children as an integral part of its obligation to the community,

We, as parents of children who have benefited from Carlow Early Learning Center, or supporters of those parents and children, request that Carlow University reconsider their decision to close the preschool of this vital institution.

The Early Learning Center Preschool at Carlow University has Undeniable Worth

Whereas, Carlow University's mission is as a women-centered, liberal arts institution engaging a diverse community in a process of life-long learning, scholarship, and research; in pursuit of intellectual endeavors; and to embrace an ethic of service for a just and merciful world,

Whereas, Carlow Early Learning Center preschool benefits women in their intellectual endeavors,

Whereas, Carlow Early Learning Center preschool provides work-study students from the University the opportunity to educate young children,

Whereas, Carlow Early Learning Center preschool provides student teaching opportunities for students in the University's Education program in a more diverse environment than offered at The Campus School at Carlow University,

Whereas, Carlow Early Learning Center preschool helps keep young men and women working in Pittsburgh,

Whereas, Carlow Early Learning Center preschool helps single parents maintain careers through acceptance of assistance program monies instead of standard tuition,

Whereas, Carlow Early Learning Center preschool makes it possible for families to keep their young children together,

Whereas, Carlow Early Learning Center preschool provides working parents with peace of mind regarding their children,

Whereas, Carlow Early Learning Center preschool is part of an entire program that provides a nurturing environment in which preemies, medically fragile, developmentally delayed and behaviorally challenged kids have and are now benefiting from,

Whereas, Carlow Early Learning Center preschool provides full year, full day care for young children age 6 weeks to 5 years through a cohesive and positive environment proven essential to Kindergarten readiness,

Whereas, Carlow Early Learning Center preschool makes it possible for children to have continuity of care from infancy through pre-kindergarten,

Whereas, Carlow Early Learning Center preschool provides excellent care for young children as an integral part of its obligation to the community,

We, as parents of children who have benefited from Carlow Early Learning Center, or supporters of those parents and children, request that Carlow University reconsider their decision to close the preschool of this vital institution.

Upon learning that Carlow University plans to close the pre-school portion of their Early Learning Center (ELC), we parents were devastated. Melissa Hankin and her staff have done amazing projects with our children and their work freed us up to accomplish our daily tasks and fulfill our long-range dreams.

The ELC is structurally designed for working parents.  It is an all-day, year-round learning environment for one fee. In contrast, The Campus School at Carlow University is a 9 month, 6 hour day program, with extended day for an additional fee during the school year. It is important to note that summer programs for pre-school-age young children are hard to find, brief, and expensive, particularly for toddlers. One of the features of the ELC is that siblings can be in close proximity for their comfort as well as the comfort of their parents.  The continuity of care to the entire family throughout infancy to the pre-school years creates the environment that children need socially and intellectually.  The educational programs in tandem with the devotion of the teachers makes the ELC far and above the best early childhood center in greater Pittsburgh. 

The current plans for closing Carlow's ELC preschool would affect every family that currently has one or more children attending the center, as most of the parents who have infants and toddlers at Carlow's ELC planned to maintain their child(ren) at that center until they were ready for kindergarten. At the very least, these parents must give up the continuity of care they were looking forward to and look into a new preschool program for their children. The impact of this closing is felt by families in the following ways:

• Parents with children in pre-K must now find care for the summer, in two short months.
  

• Parents with children in pre-K and young toddler/infant not only need to find care for the summer, but also must start looking for preschool options for their infant/young toddler.

• Parents with children in pre-K and pre-school-3/older toddler have at least one child that needs summer care and another that they have to find care for in only 4 months.

• Parents with children in older toddler room or pre-school-3, have to find a new preschool in within 4 months.

• Parents with two children are either going to have their children in two separate centers, or will be trying to also move the younger sibling into an infant room at the center that their now 3-5 year old is attending.

• Parents with a child currently at ELC that are pregnant and were planning to put their next child in the infant room while their elder child moves through the older rooms have to find preschool care for their elder child, thus repeating the previous problem of two separate centers.

It cannot be ignored that Carlow's ELC has a waiting list of families anxious to attend.  Moreover, all comparable programs do as well. Hence, four months is insufficient time to traverse any program's wait-list leaving the very real possibility that families may not find a program that both works for their child and has space to accommodate them. 

In terms of academics, it is important for a University with a graduate program in Early Childhood Education to have a program in place that serves as a rich resource for its graduate students.  The ELC is more inclusive in terms of race and income, but it is also more diverse in terms of children's learning styles, behaviors, and ranges of typicality or atypicality than The Campus School at Carlow University. Closing the ELC would certainly be a loss for us parents and for greater Pittsburgh, but it also would put unnecessary limitations on the experiences and possibilities of Carlow's graduate students. Additionally, the center provides both undergraduates and Masters students funding through work-study and full employment at the ELC.

Finally, as parents, we do the most we can to make sure our children are loved and well-cared for while we're not with them. Recently, one of Carlow's own professors shared a quote from Marge Berry, who was the principal of St. John of God School in McKees Rocks, "Are we loving the children enough?" As parents we ask this of ourselves, and as an institution committed to the education of young people, the faculty and staff at Carlow University should not forget that this decision ultimately will affect all of our children.

Attached to this letter is a statement we have put together that highlights the reasons why Carlow's ELC preschool should be celebrated and enriched rather than terminated.

Sincerely,

Parents of children that have attended Carlow's ELC and supporters of those parents and children.