Gathering Place
Gathering Place
Keiki and parents need
security of A+ programOnce again, the A+ program (a government project that actually works!) is being tossed onto the chopping block. To justify axing it as a cost-cutting measure, critics cite that it is nothing more than a glorified baby-sitting service and that parents should be responsible for caring for their own children themselves.
Wrong on the first; cold-hearted on the second.
As an A+ group leader since its inception 13 years ago, I can personally testify to its promise. Various daily activities provide excellent opportunities for physical, mental, social and character development in a safe environment for children who otherwise would face going home every day as latch-key kids. (Think of the opportunities that holds ... Yikes!)
Assistance with homework is also provided, which has proved invaluable for students who are struggling academically and may be in need of additional support through special education and/or modifications within the regular education class. Many of us are also teachers, which gives us the opportunity for early detection, intervention and strategy development with the child's teacher and parents. Accusing A+ of being a baby-sitting service? Might as well condemn scouting, church youth organizations and AYSO for the same thing.
As for the "It's your kid, you raise 'em" attitude, you're not in the 1950s anymore, Toto. Most parents would love to be home to welcome their children back from school, but the financial reality makes that nearly impossible. Not only must both parents work, it's also not uncommon for a single parent to work two or three jobs to survive. Once-reliable support systems are crumbling as grandparents return to work because of eroding retirement benefits, military parents are receiving deployment orders, and neighborhood aunties are scrambling for work or moving away. Now more than ever, families need the support of the A+ program. Without it, many parents will either have to quit their jobs or cut back on their hours, which may result in turning to other government programs for financial assistance, or be left barely surviving after paying for alternate child care. (They'll be the lucky ones; many families in the A+ program are already barely surviving.)
With the sputtering economy, the threat of war looming and cutbacks in the private industries, it's a pretty scary little world out there. Our keiki need all the support, protection and encouragement they can get in a safe, stable and enriching environment. Parents need to know they can count on it.
When I told my dad, who has always been a staunch supporter of the A+ program, about its possible demise, he sadly remarked, "That's too bad. Head Start and A+ are as necessary as irrigation water." If an 85-year-old, fiscally conservative, diehard Republican can see the obvious merits of the A+ program, why is it our own educators and lawmakers can't?
On behalf of the thousands of our keiki and parents who will be devastated by the loss of this program, I urge those who hold the power to please reconsider and do what it takes to keep it on track.
A+ carries precious cargo. Please handle with care.
Linda Hunter is a special education teacher and an A+ group leader at Honokaa Elementary School.