Thursday, August 13, 2009

How You Can Help Save Lakeview Learning Center!


Dear Parents,

Hello everyone!! I for one cannot look my son in the face and tell him that he will not be attending the place and be with the people he has grown to love. I am not willing to do that without trying my best to save this quality educational program.

So, last evening I teamed up with Pete (who sent this e-mail and by the way he was up until past midnight last night putting together the blog, awesome job, Pete!). These are the following support items that we would love to get your involvement with...

1. Write an e-mail to Cynthia Valdes, cvaldes@pcminternet.com, and make sure to cc. savelakeviewpreschool@yahoo.com (Pete is posting letters on the blog, very helpful). Also, reading the information already posted on the blog can help you write the e-mail. You can also call her at 837-6100. (btw. Celine, thanks for requesting a meeting, we hope to hear from Cynthia on that)

2. This weekend Flier Distribution: We need the support of the association members!! Help gather support from association members by helping to pass out fliers. I am putting a flier together and will be passing them out this weekend. Going house to house. Could use any help. I am thinking Saturday morning from 9-11am. or you can pick up fliers and I can assign parts of the community to pass them out some other time prior to Monday. Anytime, just let me know when you can help. Check the blog for meeting place and times. You can also e-mail me or savelakeviewpreschool@yahoo.com

3. Rally Tuesday, August 18th. A friendly show of support for our preschool at a Rally in which we will meet in front of the club starting at 5pm. We will have signs that say "We love our preschoolers", "Please help us save our preschool". etc... friendly support of the cause.

4. Wed, Aug 19th. Really important to show up at the board meeting on Wednesday. That is our big chance to be heard and to directly discuss this issue with those that made the decision. I think that only association members can attend, so please, if you are an association member and have neighbors around you that are members, attend the meeting and have them attend the meeting in support. Also, you can speak at the meeting. Need to fill out a form to do so. Maybe we can post the form on the blog. If not, I will get it out to you.

I am so happy to be working with such great parents and I am looking forward to us all teaming together and showing our support.

~Dolores (Zachary and Ben Wirth's mom)

3 comments:

  1. My wife and I have been members of this association for 27 years. We raised our two daughters here, but could not send them to the Lakeview Learning Center because the waiting list was too long.

    Our granddaughter is in her second year at Lakeview and loves playing with her school friends at the pool and at the LFCA Kids Friday Night Movies on the beach.

    A psychologist I know has a sticker on his car's bumper which says "If you think education is expensive, try ignorance". In my opinion, the tuition at Lakeview is a bargain and this very questionable decision by the board ignores the needs of this community and should not be allowed to stand.

    Mike Madigan
    grandfather of Chloe Deutschman

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  2. I am a concerned grandparent and I am very passionate about the quality of my granddaughter’s education.

    I have learned that The Lake Forest Association Board, in an emergency closed door meeting last Friday, voted to close the Lakeview Learning Center effective August 28th (without all members being present). This 5 star N.A.E.Y.C. accredited preschool has been an asset of our community for over 20 years. I have lived and been a member of this association for over 27 years and for the board to take away this valuable amenity doesn't seem justified. What else will this Board do without informing us?!

    In the last LFCA Village News (August 2009) it was stated in the President's Report that the "Preschool repair has been delayed by a host of bureaucratic issues involved with the city, licensing, etc. We had hoped to start in the Fall but now it looks like January will be a better start date to insure a smooth process." Nothing was said about closing it!

    While several teachers were provided enrollment targets several months back they were not permitted to share details of the ultimatum with parents for some unknown reason thereby taking away one of the greatest assets the preschool has, parents and their word of mouth abilities. We can and should save this preschool.

    My son-in-law was told by staff at the Association that the preschool is losing money each year. When pressed for an amount, several sources told him the deficit annually is $5,000! YES…$5,000.

    I know the parents of the preschool children can help bridge this gap but we need to hear from the Board what if anything else is causing this decision. Surely, it cannot be the $5,000…can it?!

    I, along with many association member are very upset about this situation.

    Carol Madigan

    22887 Ridge Route Lane

    (949)583-0717

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  3. Hello,

    My name is Elizabeth Kudryk, and my son Conor has attended Lakeview for the past 2 years. I have a lot to say, but I first want to start off by letting you know that 5 wonderful ladies Cindy, Linda, Gale, Sylvia and Amber are a part of our community family and we cannot destroy their lives like this. Giving them this terrible news in the manner which it has been done is heart wrenching. Miss Cindy has been the director for over 10 years along w/ Miss Linda & Gale and teachers. Miss Sylvia has been there for over 5 years. This is an amazing thing considering job turnover ratios. They have dedicated years to our children & this is what we do! I go to the gym and my son will be moving on to Kindergarten this year, but I cannot consciously even blink to think which is more important.

    I know finances appear to be the reasoning behind this. O.k. $5,000.00 in the past year is $600 a month. That is the cost approx. of 1 full time students tuition. That can be easily fixed w/ cuts etc. Why are we discriminating and wanting the preschool only for Clubhouse Members? This isn't a college, where you have to apply, & meet certain criteria to get in. We're talking preschool (not a gym membership) Cindy has made this preschool a success and it seems that they have set things up to fail w/ irrational excuses & expectations. Non members pay more for tuition, and we are a community, and extended family. People come from 10-20 miles in order for their child to attend. Something obviously is pulling them to us.I can't tell you how many friends I have made who "aren't members."

    Even if you don't have children, I plea for you to look at this & consider what this will be doing to so many families & friends. If the preschool can break even and be self supporting, there should be no problem. It has been & will be. What happened to the surplus of $25,000 many years back?

    Why do we have a lagoon committee (let the geese go in the water, turn it off, cover it, or whatever)? Surely this has cost us a ton of $ and lawsuit(s), still no decision for years. We as a community support & fund street slurring, moratorium of beetles in trees that may not be in our own yard that are there, clubhouse costs (there are people who are members of the association who don't use the ammenities). This effects us all.

    Who has the conscience to bulldoze a school that has had generations of children attend & our future adults souls in that building? It's a 5 star nationally accredited school. Do you know how amazing that is? We need time to help fix the problem. We can find a temporary location, do as the plans have been all year, renovate, no matter what we do it will cost $. New gym equipment costs $. We get donations of toys, paper, learning materials, etc. Which is more significant, a treadmill or a child's mind.

    Enrollment is no problem. We had 36 students enrolled as of Augst 1st. Several families have been turned away in the past day or so. It will be at or very close to maximum capacity. I will personally call each person to let them know the preschool is open. Some families may not receive the notice or know what has happened until they try to bring their little one to school to register in the next couple of weeks. How do we know who was planning on attending & hadn't registered yet, due to vacation or a number of reasons? Did we mail this letter out to everyone w/ a 3-5yr. old, and their families & friends? I wouldn't have even know if my son wasn't continuing for the summer. It's easy to postpone or reverse the dammage that has been done so far.

    I am so passionate about this. We need to be heard. There are many options that haven't been explored. Please help us save the Lakeview Learning Center. it's the right thing to do.



    Thank you,
    Elizabeth

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