Working for Edina Kids!

I wanted to say thank you to Rep. Keith Downey and state Sen. Geoff Michel for meeting and greeting the families from the Edina Family Center who visited the state Capitol to support early childhood education. It was nice of them to take time out of legislative committees and floor debates to greet us. They even mugged for photos with our two busloads of parents and children all under the age of 5 in our green Edina Family Center T-shirts.

We encouraged Keith and Geoff to make sure that early education remains a top priority in spite of the difficult budget choices they will make during this session. Helping families to prepare their children for kindergarten is an important policy goal that can help reduce Minnesota’s achievement gap.

I am a strong advocate of the Edina Family Center’s Early Childhood Family Education program, as are many families in Edina and surrounding communities. It is an incredible program not only for our children, but gives us the tools be supportive and loving parents. I can’t imagine my life as a parent without the support of the Edina Family Center. I would encourage anyone who wants more information about its programs to check out its website www.edina.k12.mn.us/community/familycenter.

Sarah Macklin Patzloff, Edina

This letter was featured in the April 22nd, 2010 Edina Sun Current