Dear Menlo Park City Council, First, thanks for your effort on keeping the city running at such a difficult time. However, I heard of some really shocking news so have to write this letter directly to you first thing in the morning. Like many of his classmates, my son joined Menlo Children Center (MCC) when he barely started to walk. No word can describe how vital MCC has been to my son's growth, as well as to many aspects of our family, from work to life. To say the least, we would not be living in Menlo Park if our son wasn't enrolled in MCC's program. It is devastating to think there could be any reason to close the school. Quite the opposite, I'll argue that the council should increase the support to MCC and the preschool system, including Bella Heaven. Menlo Park has a reputation of good education system and we are very proud of it. But at the same time, its early school enrollment is extremely competitive. We are fortunate to get our son a spot at MCC. But at the same time, we know quite some friends who couldn't get their children enrolled and had to commute to neighboring cities for schools. Some of them eventually moved to other places and change jobs. On a broader scale, it is true that COVID-19 will change many aspects of our lives -- the way we work and the way we study. Maybe economics will go downhill for quite some time and we all have to learn to be frugal. But one thing I am sure about is the irreplaceable value of pre-schools. Nothing is better than having a physical environment where teachers and friends can meet, and the seeds of character, behavior, and wisdom can be planted. I left a message on the public board, but also want to send the same message to you directly so our voice can be heard and the importance of MCC can be justified. In this difficult time, it has never been clearer to us how much effort the teachers and staffs have to put into their work, so there is the necessary facility to support early education for the local community. Thank you for your time. I look forward to today's meeting and hope wise decision can be made. Best regards Chuan Li Chief Science Officer Lambda Labs Received on Tue May 12 2020 - 07:53:10 PDT
