A North Carolina Preschool Teacher Goes Toe-to-Toe With Budget Cuts

Michelle O'Reilly remembers her student Ana's first day in her Bright Beginnings preschool class.

Ana didn't speak a word of English. She was nervous and timid. Coming from a Spanish-speaking family, it took weeks for her to get the courage to speak in class.

Ana is typical of the 4,200 kids served by Bright Beginnings each year in the Charlotte-Mecklenberg, North Carolina school district. Ninety percent get free or reduced price lunch. Many speak no English. All are at risk for academic problems. And if a $10 million budget cut for the program moves forward, many won't get the help they need.

Nine months later, when the school year ended, Michelle O'Reilly saw a different Ana - one that spoke in full, descriptive sentences, knew all her letters and could write her name. Ana's now in the third grade, and Michelle still sees her every day. Her former student often stops by to talk about what she's learning in class or the books she's reading.

"She's curious and wants to come to school," says O'Reilly. "She thinks of herself as a learner."

So when O'Reilly heard of the $10 million budget cut, she went to work, creating a petition on Change.org to rally support around the program.  Like so many other districts, Charlotte-Mecklenberg schools are making cuts out of necessity because of hard economic times.

But O'Reilly says early childhood programs like Bright Beginnings save taxpayers money in the long run - money they would be spending on incarceration, school drop out programs and taking care of the children of teen mothers.

O'Reilly says the district could save the program by writing a grant to help reduce the budget shortfall. If they don't, the 60 percent reduction in funding would mean that 1,800 children wouldn't get to go through the program.

Studies show that Bright Beginnings works. An eleven-year evaluation of the program showed that Bright Beginnings participants were more likely to meet or exceed grade level requirements in kindergarten and first grade and that minority children living in poverty received the most significant gains.

But much of the Charlotte-Mecklenberg community doesn't understand the importance of Bright Beginnings. Many think of it as free day care, says O'Reilly, while the program provides so much more.

"We're using money well," says O'Reilly. "Without this program, these children are not going to become responsible citizens because they're going to be struggling."

Fight for kids like Ana who need a bright beginning to their future. Sign O'Reilly's petition and tell the Charlotte-Mecklenberg Board of County Commissioners: Please Fund Bright Beginnings.

Photo credit: Irina Patrascu