Van Roekel, teacher leader, touts daycare, preschool in Tampa visit

Posted Aug 26, 2010 by Sherri Ackerman

Updated Aug 26, 2010 at 02:25 PM

Dennis Van Roekel, president of the National Education Association, during a visit to Columbus on Wednesday.

I read my coworker’s blog this week about handling mommy guilt - the kind that can come from a stressed-out working mom having to miss her child’s first day of school. Check it out here

But there’s also the kind that comes from having to work while your precious infants or toddlers attend day care or preschool.

Here’s some good news. Dennis Van Roekel, president of the National Education Association, which represents teachers and other educators, says providing our little ones with good, quality day care can set them up for success in the coming school years.

Van Roekel, on a nationwide tour this week, stopped by The News Center in Tampa today to talk about education reform and how school districts across the country can make the most of it.

There’s a huge range of readiness when students start school at age 5, said the former high school math teacher.

“It’s hard to get people to invest in ... pre-K,’’ he said. Mainly because the payoff isn’t immediate, but that payoff is down the road, Van Roekel said.

That helped ease some of my mommy guilt - the kind that comes from needing to work while my two toddlers spend their week days in someone else’s care. But truthfully, I didn’t dwell on the negative for long.

It would have been nice to stay home with my children, but my husband and I take comfort in knowing they attend one of the best preschools we could afford where they are learning how to count, spell, write and read.

They also are discovering the joys of painting, singing and jumping.

In other words, they are getting a well-rounded education in a setting that prepares them for the day they start kindergarten.

We hope that will set the stage for successful academic careers that lead to a lifelong love of learning.