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Preschool short on funds, could close doors

By Dave Rosenfeld
State Press

The College of Education Preschool is safe for now, but without necessary funding it will cease to exist after next semester.

Director and teacher Sherry Woodward said that if the preschool does not receive $150,000 by the end of spring 2000, it will be forced to shut down.

All funding must come from soft money donations by small companies, hopeful grants and private contributions. Woodward said funding usually comes from the dean's office, but because of budget shortages, the financial stability of the school is shaky.

She added that the preschool staff prides itself on the cultural diversity of their students. It would be a shame for the school to be shut down since it has such wonderful cultural diversity, she said.

"We have 14 different cultures represented," she said. "We all feel like an extended, multicultural family."

The 10-year-old preschool offers services to almost 30 children, between ages 3 and 5. On Friday, the school held its annual Harvest Festival where guests enjoyed food from many backgrounds. Kids and their families gathered in the playground near the Farmer Education building for the cultural picnic.

Woodward said allowing children to make friends with kids of other cultures is an important part of their upbringing.

"It's a wonderful experience," she said. "Cultural diversity is seeing the world as a total family."

Reporter Dave Rosenfeld can be reached by phone at (480) 965-2292 or by e-mail at davemr@earthlink.net.