Educare gives kids a chance to succeed

On March 2, 2010, West Chicago High School District 94 issued a resolution supporting Educare of West DuPage. Our reasoning was multi-faceted - we believe the program will assist West Chicago Elementary District 33 and the city of West Chicago in achieving the core values they have regarding their citizens, and most specifically, the education of the children of this community, and ultimately, the high school will also benefit.

Our resolution addressed the characteristics of the progressive community we believe the city to be - one that is proud and honors its heritage while actively building its future, one that seeks not only capital development but also seeks to develop its human capital, and a community that is firmly committed to invest in the youngest of our citizens.

We believe that Educare offers all eligible students deemed "at-risk" an opportunity to begin obtaining the learning skills necessary to go on to excel in the educational environment. With the assistance of this program, those children who might otherwise never progress through high school or graduate will be able to be successful.

Our children are the most valuable asset the community has - and we owe it to them to provide every opportunity for educational success. The return on this investment will be tremendous - not just in the success of the students, which should be the highest priority, but additionally, the cost savings to the taxpayer through an improved education process - from a reduction in overhead to re-educate students that were not adequately prepared when they entered kindergarten, to an improved graduation rate at the high school level, improved test scores throughout the school years, reduced gang and criminal activities as kids leave school due to failure, and increased property values due to higher ranking schools.

Katherine M. Doremus

President, District 94 board of education

Winfield