RSG | Press Page: Commentary by James H. Smith: You can never start too early

Before Tyler was going on 5, we would read "Good Night Gorilla," over and over. The poor zookeeper, not as alert as his wife, never discovers that all the animals follow him home and the gorilla even climbs into bed. Turn the page and two big wide eyes of the awakened wife stare out of the darkness. She takes them all back to their zoo.

My grandson and I still argue over who ate the banana at the end — it's a mystery. We've wondered aloud together about the balloon floating freely in the sky above the animals' cages. One Christmas, I even found for him little stuffed versions of all the animals in the book, from armadillo to giraffe.

Alas, the boy has graduated to more rigorous readings, his favorite just now: "Star Wars." His parents read to him every night and I think what a fortunate kid he is. They also send him to preschool. His mother was a teacher before he entered our lives. She knows the value of early learning and that preschool is great prep for school.

Too many kids don't have books at home and their parents can't afford to send them to preschool.

That's why David Radcliffe's plan to pay the city $100,000 so his Children First Initiative and its nonprofit partners can build an early learning center is so important. Some 75 Meriden preschoolers not now being served, will be, and parents can get financial help based on income. Preschool costs generally range from $10,000 to $15,000 annually.

State Sen. Tom Gaffey, chairman of the legislature's Education Committee, made expanding school readiness a key part of his re-election platform. Gov. M. Jodi Rell wrote, "Connecticut has already shown that children who participate in a quality preschool — no matter what their background — have greater success in school. We have made great progress in expanding preschool opportunities for children of our cities, but thousands more need access. This must be a priority in the next five years."

Meriden School Readiness Director Jessica Stewart has written, "Statistics show that for every $1 invested in quality preschool programs, we save $7 on remedial schools, criminal justice and welfare."

But in Meriden, first the Planning Commission and then the City Council rejected Mr. Radcliffe's proposal for an early learning center on four acres off Bailey Avenue, over near the mall.

The good news is that hundreds of kids in Meriden are being served by private programs, by parents who prefer to keep their children home, by the school district (240 preschoolers), by Head Start (140 preschoolers) and by the city's School Readiness Council (290 preschoolers). According to Mr. Radcliffe, that leaves some 300 young girls and boys who could benefit from programs.

The Bailey Avenue plan has the added benefit of 51 contiguous acres of meadows and wetlands. Mr. Radcliffe's consortium envisions introducing young minds and bodies to nature and learning to care for the environment on those acres. The land would be preserved for others to enjoy its quietude.

The betting is the City Council won't come up with the eight votes needed to override the Planning Commission. It should. Some councilors think they can get more than $100,000 from someone else some time in the future. Perhaps. But here is a well-thought-out proposal that answers a need and will benefit children far into the future.

School Superintendent Mary Cortright has her eye on the old East Campus of the hospital for all-day kindergarten and other educational programs. She'll gladly invite Mr. Radcliffe's preschool to join them.

If the council rejects the Bailey Avenue plan, it should turn that building over to the schools.

Reach Executive Editor James H. Smith at [3] jsmith@record-journal.com or (203) 317-2370