To the editor:

I am writing this letter because I want to bring to everyone’s attention an important issue that seems to be lost amid Gov. Cuomo’s proposed investments to our area’s tourism industry. What about our children, specifically the youngest and neediest of them, infants to 5-year-olds who may have a disability or a learning delay?

When he first came into office, Cuomo cut reimbursement rates for early intervention (EI) services by 10 percent. Since that time, nothing has been done to restore any of these monies, and therapists and agencies can no longer afford to provide these services. In Franklin County, BOCES first had to stop their EI program, and then the Adirondack Arc had to make the same difficult decision last summer. Meanwhile, there are huge waiting lists for such services as physical, occupational and speech therapies as well as special instruction.

All research points to the importance of providing interventions early on in a child’s life to address their needs. So why aren’t the legislators in Albany addressing this serious problem?

Now, with the increase to minimum wage along with the rise in health insurance rates and everyday expenses, preschool programs are also in trouble. Our tuition reimbursement rate for our Universal Pre-K students has never seen an increase in the 16 years we have been providing this service, although mandates such as the length of the day have increased. Our special education classrooms’ funding shortfalls are addressed by the state Education Department two to three years after the fact, meaning that we have to somehow support losses for over two years before any financial aid is given. What agency can afford to lose money year after year? Not BOCES — it shut down its preschool program also.

As a nonprofit agency that was founded by parents needing services for their young children, the Adirondack Arc is committed to our preschool program. But we are looking for community support in getting our legislators and governor to recognize the importance of these services. If children have to wait until they enter kindergarten to get their educational needs met, vital years of learning will be lost forever. Then the school districts and thus you, the taxpayer, will have to pay those additional costs.

Let’s all speak out for those who have no political voice or power; the children. They, not tourists, are the future of our community. Thank you.

Deb Roddy

Director, Children’s Corner

The Adirondack Arc

Saranac Lake