Pardon us for answering your question with a question, but… Do you have children or grandchildren that you would like to see moving back to Burlington, living, and thriving here for years to come? Are you an employer? Do you care about the future of your community, country and world?
Aside from housing, childcare is one of the top worries of families when they move to a new area. This could very well be a deciding factor in whether to settle in Burlington or to move to a different town.
Childcare and early learning encompasses many facets of community life.
It is an economic issue as employees are more flexible to contribute to the workforce when they have dependable childcare. Having a community childcare center builds a legacy of community support for young families, which will attract them to live and work in Burlington for generations to come.
It is a physical and mental health issue because children are healthiest when they are in an environment with loving, caring adults; where they can be mentally and physically stimulated with educational toys and activities and where their needs of safety and care are met. Physical and mental health of parents of young children is also greatly improved when they are surrounded by a supportive community which helps them juggle the demands of raising children, working, and maintaining their own physical and mental wellbeing.
It is an education issue because recent studies have shown that a child’s brain is rapidly developing during the first five years of life. Not only are we aiming to provide a safe environment for the children of our community, but we desire to provide early learning opportunities which will be foundational to the brain development and future educational path for the children of Burlington and surrounding areas. Long term, this will create competent citizens for generations to come.
The Board members of the Burlington Childcare Center Project are willing to go out on a limb, banking on the belief that our citizens will optimistically come together to support our young families and children, building a bright future of foundational early-childhood education which will lead to community and economic growth. We believe that there is no greater investment than in our children, who will become the leaders of tomorrow. Each citizen and businessperson is encouraged to consider how they may be able and willing to contribute to this project.
