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Representative Shelley Vana Joins Pre-K Children to Picture the Future

West Palm Beach, Fla. (Nov. 26, 2007) – Four-year-olds expressed their hopes and dreams for their future careers to Representative Shelley Vana (D- 85) as they celebrated Picture the Future week. The event was hosted by Rhonda Clinton at Easter Seals, a child development center located in West Palm Beach.

Representative Vana was joined by parents, business leaders 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 City Commissioner Jeri Muoio and Easter Seals Board member Jeffrey Kneen.

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, 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.

Prominent local business leader, Jeffrey Kneen, who has a long history of volunteer work on behalf of children’s services, spoke of the importance of degreed teachers for future economic growth and an educated workforce. Long term benefits, he explained, result from investments in early education.

He is in good company, chairman of the Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke started the trend, and has been joined by countless business leader 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.

Future goals are important, but Representative Vana also heard from professionals who are seeing the immediate difference degreed lead teachers make in the lives of West Palm Beach four-year-olds. Marliene Florestal, a teacher at Easter Seals, spoke about how her ECD college degree empowers her as a teacher. “My degree gave me the groundwork I needed to understand the importance of laying basic foundations for each child so that each child begins their education with all the building bricks they will need to succeed.”

Parents were also on hand to show their support. Laurie Simmer, parent of a two-year-old son born with a rare cancer, spoke about how she depends on the teachers to not only educate her son, but to also educate her on how to reinforce what her child learns in the classroom.

The event was highlighted by the pre-k students handing Representative Vana pictures of what they want to be when they grow up to illustrate the need for a strong education foundation. Pictures of teachers, doctors, lawyers, and more were drawn by young hands with colorful crayons and 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 looking for more than stated support for degreed lead teachers. “ Florida has a responsibility to our children, our future, and the voters to make quality pre-k a reality,” states Miller, “the only way that can happen is with a qualified degreed lead teacher in every pre-k classroom. It is time the policy makers of Florida step up and make this legislative change a priority for 2008 Session.”