"Families don’t come in standard shapes and sizes...
so we try to create options..."

The Principal:
								We have three different models in LaCrosse. One model is that the staff are right in the schools. The second model is that the school district of LaCrosse teacher goes into a private day care facility and they still work under the policies, directions and the teacher contract of the school district. We also have a model three where we pay a per-pupil allotment for contracting services from private chid care facilities. What they have to do is provide a DPI (Department of Public Instruction) certified, licensed teacher and follow our general guidelines. Our most difficult model is probably the model twos, where our district teachers are going into the private day care centers. Although there have been ‘bumps in the road’, with everybody focusing on children and focusing on families, it’s altogether been a good opportunity.

Deb Suchla:
								I think it’s unique in that we emphasize two things with the projects that we put together. We want to minimize transitions with the four year olds and we want to maximize choices with families. Families don’t come in standard shapes and sizes and they have older kids in school and younger kids needing child care, so we try to create options so that families can go to that facility to choose what’s best for them.

The Principal:
								The new Community Collaboration Project, that started two years ago, takes a look at all four-year-olds in the city of LaCrosse. That, in fact, is one of the beauties of the program. We have the Head Start programs, child care providers, the parochial schools, and take a broad based look at all four-year-olds and at providing affordable, accessible opportunities for families to choose.

A Parent:
								He’s going to a four-year-old program and it’s a private Montessori Preschool. It’s a wonderful program in that it addresses the needs of three, four, and five-year-olds. Preschool has been just an absolutely wonderful experience for him… not so much academically, but more importantly, the social interaction. Things like having a daily routine, getting up in the morning, getting ready for school, etc., help him develop that sense of independence. It’s really made him blossom into a wonderful little boy. It’s great that he can concentrate, strive for independence and do activities on his own.

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