While I’m sure that the increase in training requirements for preschool workers is being proposed with the well-being of children in mind, it will in fact have just the opposite effect: our preschool, which operates on the co-operative model, would have to change out of all recognition. It would lose the character that we value most, and that has been beneficial to our daughter, which is strong parental involvement and a resulting sense of community. I love being a periodic presence in the class, and I love how my daughter gets to know not just her peers, but their parents and guardians as well. 

Economics are also a factor. The cooperative model lowers the cost of preschool. Not all families would be able to afford preschool without this reduction in fees. Certainly many of our families, mine included, would be able to adjust to higher prices, but there would be less money left over for programs currently provided by our school, such as scholarships for families that could use help even with our more cost-efficient model. 

So from my point of view, the result of this rule change would be a loss of community, a less fulfilling educational experience for my child, and likely fewer children with access to any sort of pre-K education at all. With more and more studies linking long term success to education that occurs before kids ever reach public schools, I think we need to be doing more to ensure that all kids have access to quality classroom experiences. This proposed rule moves us in the wrong direction  

This is an issue I care deeply about. I will be watching the outcome with great interest. And I vote.