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Senator Mike Fasano Joins Pre-K Children to Picture the Future

New Port Richey, Fla. (11/20/07) – Four-year-olds dressed as doctors, nurses, firemen and super hero actors expressed their hopes and dreams for their future careers to State Senator Mike Fasano (R-11) as they celebrated Picture the Future week. The event was hosted by the ABC Academy, directed by Laurie Mykel, and located off Highway 54 in New Port Richey.

Senator Fasano, who has a long history of supporting children’s issues, was joined by parents, child advocates and pre-k teachers to talk about the benefits of degreed teachers and the improvements they are making in Florida’s early learning education system. Also attending were New Port Richey Mayor Dan Tipton and Councilwoman Marilyn DeChant.

Picture the Future is a statewide advocacy event created to focus the attention of Florida policy makers on the need for high quality pre-k teachers, specifically degreed teachers in pre-k classrooms.

Currently, although degreed teachers are required by law to lead each classroom during the summer session of the constitutionally mandated pre-k program, children enrolled in pre-k during the regular school year in Florida do not receive the same guarantee.

Early childhood education is increasingly recognized by economists and other researchers as being critical to success in school and in life, which ultimately creates a more qualified workforce.

Chairman of the Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke started the trend and has since been joined by countless business leaders from across the country (including a coalition of economists, business leaders, donors, children’s advocates and policy experts with the same goal, the Partnership for America’s Economic Success) stressing the need for the United States to provide quality pre-k to four-year-olds in order for the country to continue to compete in the global market, as well as gain the economic benefits.

Parents were also on hand to show their support of degreed lead teachers for pre-k classrooms. Dan Hendrickson spoke that he enrolled his son in the program because of the difference a quality pre-k program had made in his daughter’s life.

Quality education paired with a solid plan for the future can only benefit Florida’s children. There are few people who know this as well as Senator Mike Fasano who shared his personal story with the children, about being a high school drop-out and not earning his GED until his late 20’s. He expressed his desire to help the children get a good education and afford them opportunities he did not have.

The event was highlighted by pre-k students, all dressed to depict their future careers, performing a song in Spanish, English and sign language. The students each handed Fasano pictures of what they want to be when they grow up to illustrate the need for a strong education foundation.

Fasano had the opportunity to meet two children, one who aspires to be President of the United States and the other his Air Force One pilot. Another child, a girl, was dressed in fatigues to show her desire to be a military officer. She saluted the Senator crisply when approaching with her drawing.

Pictures of teachers, doctors and presidents were drawn by young hands with colorful crayons and big dreams.

This event was sponsored by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Chapman Family Foundation, Inc., Voices for America’s Children, and Pre-K Now, and was organized in partnership with Spencer Ingram and Associates, LLC, Early Childhood Association of Florida, Generations United and Children’s Campaign, Inc.

Roy Miller, President and founder of Children’s Campaign, Inc. a statewide advocacy organization for children’s issues, says that the groups that put together this event are pleased to see this growing support for pre-k degreed teachers. “The responsibility to our children, our future, and the voters to make quality pre-k available to every child rests with all of us,” states Miller, “It is time for all of the policy makers of Florida to step up and fix the inequality that exists between the summer session and the regular school year.”