Keep The Periwinkle Child Development Center Open

The Periwinkle Child Development Center is a childcare co-op that has been supporting students at Linn-Benton Community College for over 30 years. It has two pre-school classrooms, and one additional kindergarten that is a part of the Greater Albany Public Schools. There are two teachers in each classroom, and each parent volunteers in their child’s class for at least 3 hours a week.

These parents also attend a parenting class once a week to help them improve on their parenting skills. Practicum and work study students also provide irreplaceable support here. Linn-Benton’s child development and education programs benefit from this center as well. Students in these programs come in and spend time working and getting hands-on experience. There are also two observation rooms for students and parents to go into and watch children interact.

Many of the parents involved in this program are single parents who need support in developing a successful career, as well as dealing with personal and parenting issues; this center provides all of that. The Periwinkle Center is a community of people supporting each other to be successful. This pre-school gives parents absolute peace of mind that their children are safe and developing invaluable life skills, while they work on their careers. This program has created a wonderful family environment. The bonds that have been created here with other parents and their children are life-long, and not something we are willing to give up.

Friday, February 18, 2011 the decision was announced to close this program due to budget cuts. Because of this decision, 60 families will be displaced at the end of spring term, June 8, 2011. This will cause the teachers and staff, many of whom have worked in this center for 14+ years, to lose their jobs, as well as displacing all of the students involved in this program--not only the 2 and-a- half to 7-year-old students, but their parents will also be displaced.

Many of the parents involved in this program would not have the option to go to college without it. The loss of this program will leave most of them with unfinished degrees and student loans they cannot afford to pay back without those degrees. It will affect the college's completion rate, as well as impacting the education provided to the students’ pursuing careers in child development and education. Completely cutting this program will have more negative effects than positive ones.