Just as a calculated change in one segment of an ecology can produce unintended consequences throughout the system, the recent defeat of the Farmingdale school budget will have serious and widespread effects on many community programs. These programs use school facilities to provide needed or desirable services for the children and adults of the communnity. And this will happen because under state law if a district goes on an austerity budget, the district must charge all community organizations and programs for the use of space and custodial services in the schools

Farmingdale Care is a nonprofit organization that, for the past 15 years, has operated in a partnership with the school district to provide a quality community program of safe, affordable school-age child care. The district provides the space, custodial services and shuttle transportation. Farmingdale Care provides the staffing, programming, food, supplies and equipment. It is a fee-based program which serves over 200 students at three centers in before-school and after-school sessions. We also conduct an eight-week, full day program during the summer. This is an essential service for many working parents of the community and it is "home" to those 200-plus children while their parents are at work.

If the school budget is not passed when it is put up for a revote on June 20, our program will be billed $600 per day for rent, plus, as yet undetermined, custodial fees. We estimate that this could add $160,000 to our annual cost of operation, making the cost prohibitive for all but a very few of our parents. This comes on top of a loss of $66,000 in aid from Nassau County due to its desperate financial situation. These compounding financial blows will surely lead to the demise of Farmingdale Care and create a new generation of latch-key children who are left in empty homes when their parents cannot be there.

We urge the community to vote yes on the school budget on June 20. If you are not registered to vote, please stop in at the district clerk's office in the Howitt School during normal business hours any day from now until June 16 or call 752-6552 for information regarding voter eligibility. Registration will also be held on June 13 from 3 until 9 p.m. at the Howitt School. Voting will take place on June 20 from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m. in the Howitt gym.

Your yes vote will ensure that the "home away from home" will continue to be available for the children of our community.

Julie Schroeder, director

Gerard Donolli, board president

Farmingdale Care, Inc.