Dear Editor:

As Co Executive Director at the Family Center of Washington County, the Parent Child Center for Central Vermont, I wanted to write in support of the Vermont Parent Child Center Network. I passionately believe in the promise of every child and family reaching their full potential and making sure they have the right supports to help them on their way. This is exactly what we do at the Family Center, and it is at the heart of the work done at Parent Child Centers across the state. Despite the critical importance of the prevention work we do each day, Parent Child Centers are desperately underfunded. It is time to fully fund the essential state services Parent Child Centers deliver. I support fully funding Parent Child Centers because I believe it is the smartest Return on Investment for Vermont’s dollars, for every dollar we invest today we save almost ten times that down the road. I hope that policy makers will support an appropriation of an additional $8 million dollars needed to fully fund the work of the Parent Child Center Network. At the Family Center of Washington County we believe that resourceful families and healthy children create strong community, and that is a future I want to be a part of.

Sincerely,

Claire Kendall

Howes Road