Everett, Wash.
Published: Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Preschools on verge of losing aid from college

To cut costs, Everett Community College is likely to drop its support for eight cooperative schools.

By Eric Stevick
Herald Writer

 A long-standing partnership between Everett Community College and preschools across Snohomish County could be coming to an end.

That likelihood could spell trouble for some preschools that serve about 265 families.

"I think some of them will close this coming fall and some will continue to limp along for a while," said Barbara Yasui, EvCC's former Child and Family Education program coordinator.

For decades, EvCC has offered parents academic credits at a reduced tuition rate as well as part-time instructors to teach parenting skills at the cooperative preschools.

In a cost-cutting move, the EvCC Board of Trustees is expected to pass a $40 million operating budget tonight that would eliminate funding for the programs. The college hopes to save more than $300,000 by breaking with the preschools.

Supporters for the college's Child and Family Education program argue that the connection to the college offers invaluable parenting tips, a cheaper insurance rate for their preschools and stability.

"The education we get as parents makes us better parents," said Catherine Van Pelt, who had two children enrolled at the Sky Valley Cooperative Preschool in Sultan this year. "Parenting doesn't come with a manual and the co-op really helps fill that gap."

The college's Child and Family Education program began in 1956 and is one of the state's oldest, according to the statewide Organization for Parent Education Programs. The college provides staff to work with parents while the independently run preschools hire instructors.

Supporters estimate the college-supported preschools have served 16,000 parents and families over the years. This year, from Darrington to Snohomish, there were eight EvCC cooperative preschools where parents participated in the classroom alongside children.

Yasui has seen the program as a parent at the Marysville cooperative preschool and later became a parent instructor before becoming the program's coordinator for two years.

In a letter to the college's board of trustees, Yasui wrote: "I feel that the decision was made to eliminate the program without allowing the program coordinator, faculty or program advisory board any real opportunity to explore ways of funding the program."

EvCC leaders say the recommendation to sever ties with the preschools boiled down to money. They say the preschools needed to be more financially self-supporting.

Backers say they asked for budget information months ago, but didn't get it until earlier this month. College officials said they erroneously assumed everyone who wanted the budget data had been provided it.

EvCC faced nearly a $1.8 million state budget cut this year and is bracing for a $1.2 million reduction in 2010. Cuts to preschool funding -- the parent educators at the cooperative preschools and more direct help for a south Everett preschool that supports children from low-income families -- will save more than $320,000. It's trying to find another agency to take its place at the preschool at the Trailside Village apartment complex.

"These are just really hard decisions for the college to make," said Sandra Fowler-Hill, the college's vice president of instruction.

Fowler-Hill said other community colleges, such as Clover Park, Pierce and Yakima Valley, have recently dropped their support for similar preschool programs. Edmonds Community College, which works with six cooperative preschools, has no plans to reduce its programs this fall.

"The co-ops aren't being closed," Fowler-Hill said. "It's up to them. We are just eliminating our financial support for parent educators."

Maggie Conley, who has been a parent educator at more than a half dozen cooperative preschools over the past 20 years, said the college offers stability, both in helping guide instructors with developmentally appropriate curriculum and through institutional knowledge of what it takes to operate a preschool.

"These are all nonprofit individually incorporated programs that have no consistency to guide them and train them in how to run a small business," Conley said. "It's pretty dicey."

The cuts to the cooperative preschool program would not affect the college's Early Learning Center, which is on the main EvCC campus.

Reporter Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, e-mail stevick@heraldnet.com.
© 2009The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA