Dayton Daily News education reporter Scott Elliott writes about schools, kids, teaching and learning.
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Monday, April 17, 2006
More tips to find preschools and day cares
Last week, I wrote a short story giving tips for finding a good preschool or day care center. This was an issue I blogged about in September.
A reader contacted me with an additional tip. She says look for schools and centers that are accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Centers and schools have to meet quality standards to receive accreditation.
The reader also challenged my assertion in the story that, in some cases, you can bargain for a lower fee. She said she considered top flight day care centers for her kids and that both places had waiting lists. She’s certainly right that this is an issue of supply and demand — no center with a waiting list is likely to cut a deal.
So it’s a judgment call. If you think there’s a chance you could get a lower rate, it can’t hurt to ask if they can come down a little.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Young Children
All hail the Times-Picayune
Just a quick note of congratulations to the staff of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, which today won two Pulitzer Prizes for their coverage of Hurricane Katrina. The staff of that newspaper did some of the greatest journalism I’ve ever seen in the wake of the storm. Heroic is the only word for it. Do yourself a favor and read this account of reporting the first days of the storm by Brian Thevenot, an education reporter by trade who was on the front lines for Katrina.
I was moved by the words of Editor Jim Amoss as he told the news to his staff:
“Katrina, the greatest urban disaster in America, dealt tragedy and bitter loss to our community and everyone in this room. As our city was being ravaged, our citizens dying, our market destroyed, our homes lost, with chaos and lawlessness reigning — while this was happening, we came together as a team, and fulfilled a mission that is sacred to us: to publish no matter what — no matter whether our house was destroyed, whether we knew what had happened to our families, or what the future held.
If anyone doubts the value of a daily newspaper, ask the readers of The Times-Picayune. They will tell you what it means to have news from your hometown, brought to you by reporters, photographers, graphic artists, columnists, editorial writers and editors who know their backyard, understand the complexity of our situation and are driven by a passion for this place and this story.”
Amen.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Journalism
