By Hannah W. Wever

Published: April 3, 2008

To the editor,
I am writing once again about the Child Garden.  It is my understanding that the board will not vote on the budget for its final approval until April 15.  I have read an article in the Orange Review quoting a board member saying, “We are not in the babysitting business.” I am very bothered by this comment because I feel that none of you listened to a single parent the night of May 11.
Even the infants that attend the Child Garden are learning.  What are they learning?  Their shapes, their emotions, they are learning sign language, their motor skills are being worked on every day, plus so much more.  My four-year-old can count to 30, he knows all his colors, he can say and recognize his letters, he can write his name, he recognizes letters, (we were at the doctor’s office the other day and he told me all the letters in registration).  Now obviously he is 4, so he didn’t know what he had spelled but he knew all the letters and that says something.  It says that my child is not babysat all day.  He is in preschool and he is being prepared for kindergarten.  My 3-year-old is learning to write her name, she can recognize most of her letters, she knows all of her letters by memory, and she can count and recognize some of her numbers.  There is so much my children come home and tell me they have learned; they know new songs and they have made friends.  Their social improvements are amazing.  When my children started the Child Garden, they wouldn’t talk to anyone, they were shy.  The teachers at the center have brought them out of their shells.
I would like to know if any of you have gone into the center for an hour (this was requested of you before you made any final decision) to visit the children and let them show you what all of their parents keep telling you.
So, no!  You are not in the babysitting business.  You are in the business to prepare this generation for school and for life.
I have received a letter in the mail from the Orange County Chamber of Commerce stating they are pleased to inform Orange County that through a grant from the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation, funding for childcare has been provided throughout Orange County.
The website to go to is http://www.smartbeginningsorangecountyva.org for more information, or you can call 672-5484, ext. 4, to schedule a speaker for your group about this program.
According to Smart Beginnings, “We hope that you will join with us in recognizing that it is the community’s responsibility to make those early years that start children in life with a sturdy educational foundation.”
This could be an opportunity to keep the Child Garden open.  Please, if there is anything the parents of the Child Garden can do, let us know; we are willing to help to keep this center open.
I have contacted Governor Kaine about the situation with the Child Garden and his office suggested we talk to the Orange County School Board to see if they can take the program on.  Is this an option?

Tabitha Carpenter
Gordonsville