Currents in Education: Back to School
First Lady: learning begins before school at the Family Resource Center
By Jennifer L. Saunders
YORK - "We really have to reform our attitudes about learning - when it occurs, and where it occurs."Those were the words of Maine First Lady Karen Baldacci as she stood speaking with staff and volunteers at the Family Resource Center, located in the Landmark Hill plaza at the Kittery-York town line.
Baldacci arrived at the center on Thursday morning, Aug. 17, to tour the facility, which is affiliated with Child Care Services of York County and provides an array of free programs and low-cost enrichment options to families in York, Kittery and throughout Southern York County.
Baldacci's visit to the center was part of a tour of programs in the county that focus on young children.
With the end of summer approaching, Baldacci spoke with members of the FRC about a decline in grant funding that has forced a reduction in center hours and programs - not because of lack of interest, as FRC Director Carin Sarzynski explained, but due to the lack of funds available for such programs.
Baldacci, who toured the center with Maine Communities for Children and Youth Executive Director Susan Savell, acknowledged the value of places like the FRC to early childhood literacy and learning. And, Baldacci and Savell talked of the importance of that early learning later on in life.
"You're not a hand out, you're a hand up," Baldacci said.
She pointed out that learning occurs before children ever enter kindergarten or first grade classrooms, and cited the importance of learning between birth and the age of three years. Programs like those offered at the center, she acknowledged, play an important role in the goal of having all Maine's children ready to learn.
Baldacci discussed the importance of a regional approach to finding the funding support needed for centers like this one to survive when grants are not available. She acknowledged the need for partnerships across community borders and with the state.
"The First Lady and Susan Savell are both strong advocates of supporting the positive development of children, youths, and their families, as the core of strong and happy communities," said Diane Brandon of the Community Wellness Coalition after the event. Based at York Hospital, the coalition was instrumental in the founding of the Family Resource Center several years ago.
At this time, Sarzynski said, the center has had to reduce its staff hours due to a loss in grant funds that has resulted in a $500 a week operating budget as the fall begins. There are now fees for some programs, she said, but financial aid is available to families that cannot afford the cost. The goal, she said, is to make the programs as accessible as possible.
Several free programs, such as Play and Grow, Talk-A-Bye Baby, 1-2-3 Play and Daddy and Me, are also being offered.
The center is open Tuesday through Thursdays this fall from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the effort to secure additional funding continues, Sarzynski said.
For details on programs and registration, see The Independent's calendar listings or visit the Family Resource Center's website at www.ConnectingFamiliesTogether.org. For more information on the Family Resource Center, call 451-9291.
