Is COD again wasting money?

A group of retired COD Early Childhood teachers recently gathered to discuss their dismay about the closing of the $7.5 million Louise Beem Child Development Center.

We, along with the community, were excited when the college decided to invest in young children, families and future educators when they built this thoughtfully designed and innovative center!

We knew this was a meaningful community resource that could benefit many in DuPage County.

From the moment the center opened, the highly qualified staff served many families and future teachers. In previous years, the center was rated a NAEYC Accredited Program providing a Developmentally Appropriate High Quality Model for young children and families.

The decision to close the center was made by the current board, based on several factors that could have been rectified if the community had been made aware of problems. T

he decision to close the center was not shared with the community until after the board finalized its decision.

We strongly feel that the community partners and taxpayers need to be involved in this decision.

The center is scheduled to close June 1, and a building specifically designed to serve area children, families, and future educators will be used as office space.

At this point, the most positive outcome of this situation would be to postpone the decision to close the center until it can be reviewed by community members.

Alice Rohweder Giordano, COD Faculty Emeritus

Glen Ellyn

Dr. Shirley DeCorte

Naperville