Menlo Park City Council, I am writing to express great concern with the possible closure of MCC – Menlo Children’s Center. Menlo Park has been a great city to call home and that is largely because of all of the great community services it offers and the strong community it fosters. One of these services is childcare and early childhood education. My older son currently attend MCC and we are excited to have our younger son start this fall. One of the most wonderful activities that MCC participates in is the Halloween trick or treating through the offices at Burgess Park. This activity alone demonstrates the strong values that city has for community involvement and Menlo Park’s strong commitment to family values. My husband and I have lived in Menlo Park for almost 8 years, we have gotten married, had 2 children and purchased our home here. We participate in city activities, patron shops and restaurants in downtown and utilize city services. Among other things, I have taken sewing classes and my kids have taken gymnastics, soccer and swimming lessons. We attend summer concerts, decorate our wagon for the Fourth of July Parade, trick or treat along Santa Cruz on Halloween, have breakfast with Santa and were sad to not get to hunt for Easter eggs this year at Burgess. This is to say, we are very involved in the Menlo Park community, MCC helps to foster this type of strong community. We see fellow students and staff at all of these events, the city should be proud of this institution and everything it fosters. The residents that have students at MCC are exactly the kind of families Menlo Park wants to attract. Do not disappoint us, please reconsider this proposal and keep the preschool open. During this hard time, Menlo Park’s children do not deserve to have their community permanently disrupted. My son is so excited to return to MCC, every time we pass it he asks when he can return, my hope is that it is soon. Menlo Park already has a shortage of childcare, do not exasperate the problem for your residents. Jessica Kohli Received on Tue May 12 2020 - 10:43:07 PDT
