A Person's a Person No Matter How Small

Besides being an English teacher I am a mother. There are days when I think this is the best job because magically the stars have aligned and the world seems peaceful.  Then, there are the other days when the world you have set up begins to crumble and you are left trying to put the pieces back together; no matter how haphazardly it's done.  The latter defines the past few weeks of my life. 

I live a fairly small town in California, Santa Fe Springs to be exact.  My city, unlike many cities
provides a city run preschool and before/after daycare program. My troublemint twins have blossomed in the preschool program-it's been amazing with the little things that their minds absorb. We came home one day to a package on our front steps and my four year olds touted, "Mama, the post came,we have a parcel!" What four year old shouts the words parcel or post? Kids who have had preschool teachers who go above and beyond than what is necessary. I digress though.

Through the loss of expected state monies our fair city has decided that running a childcare program and preschool program will either be cut completely or drastically reduced. The day that I heard that my twins would be unable to use the after school childcare program with licensed professionals was a sad day. I understand budget cuts. My husband works for the county and I for a school district. We get budget cuts, but our city does not. It's austerity for some not all. So, I started going to my city council meetings and what I heard made my blood boil. The outrageous spending on non-core services was ridiculous and to watch those that I helped vote into office congratulate themselves on only spending  $104,000 on art made my stomach churn. If children are not core services at four, five and ten then when are they? Do we wonder how they went astray when they are in the youth intervention program which continues to remain feeless?

I've decided that I must be my children's voice. The council members do not see them, since they do not have the ability to vote.  I will continue to tell my children, "You is kind, you is smart, you is important". These are not words painted in a novel, but words that have meaning behind them. I hope that as I blog my journey that even if you do not live in my city you will see what your city has decided are not core services, but concern your children. You may be surprised how much money there is to spend when it's not on the children who will grow up and make the city in which we live in a better place.

So follow me on my journey, I'll need all the support I can get.