State Senator Mike Simmons chews on mooncakes and ideas for how to improve education for children, support community organizations, and increase employment — all with no extra tax dollars.
SEAC President and educator, Peter Porr and San O, MSW Executive Director suggested:
1. open access to numerous qualified teachers locked out of teaching, because their relevant courses were not in the right department
2. earmark larger portion of State-Federal funds for early childhood education to community organizations (CBOs)
*where parents can send their children all day allowing them to work or further their education and
* where CPS itself found CBO preschool students score better than CPS’s.
* where expenses are much less per teaching hour with teachers of same qualifications.
* where grass roots nature of CBO’s allows services and community cohesion that only they can provide. CBO’s
With unintended consequences, State and City are currently shifting funding to CPS with little expertise in early childhood education and, research shows, inferior education while undermining vital CBOs with decades of experience and expertise and age-appropriate facilities in place.
