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FEBRUARY 7, 2019
WILLISTON’S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1985
School fundraiser postponed for lack of volunteers By Clover Whitham
Observer correspondent
Williston’s parent teacher organization needs you. The group, called Williston Fa m ilies As Pa r t ner s, r aises money for the town’s elementary schools and serves as a forum to discuss activities, programming and events. This year, the group has had to postpone one of its largest fundraisers, the Williston Run for Education, due to a lack of volunteer support. Without a person to chair the committee in time to plan for the 5k run historically held in May, the group decided to delay the fundraiser until the fall. The event typically raises $3,000 to $4,000, said Williston FAP chairwoman Emily Downing Ponce. Like many organizations that rely on volunteers, leaders at the Williston FAP say it’s getting harder to recruit help. Downing Ponce said signing up new people is a problem nationwide among parent teacher organizations. “I think a lot has to do with work commitments and that kind of stuff,” Downing Ponce said. “I think we’re all putting a lot on our plates. It’s not a negative, it’s just a side effect.”
Karen Olson, who has been involved in the Williston FAP for about eight years, agrees.
‘I feel like it is harder and I wonder if it’s that there are so many competing priorities for people’s attention.’ –Karen Olson Williston FAP
“I feel like it is harder and I wonder if it’s that there are so many competing priorities for people’s attention,” Olson said. “I realize from my own kids’ lives, on the weekends and even during the week, they have sports, practices and games.” W h ich is why bot h women emphasized that the time commitment to volunteer varies and can be as little as a two-hour stint at an
event. Olson and Downing Ponce both started volunteering to help with singular fundraisers and later signed up to chair committees. The organization also tries to offer flexibility with fewer face-toface meetings and more electronic communication. Downing Ponce said the FAP needs at least 10 volunteers for each annual fundraiser. Her hope is to get at least five more volunteers to represent each grade in the elementary schools and 20 volunteers to help with events. Other fundraisers include a variety show, a fall craft fair, the Big Basket Raffle and the Scholastic Book Fair, which will be expanded in the next school year. The Williston FAP has managed to pull off fundraisers with last-minute volunteer suppor t and the helpf ul hands of st udents, council members’ spouses and even a Boy Scout troop. But Downing Ponce said more volunteers would ease the burden for all and make each fundraiser more effective. “It’s hard to know that each event is going to be fully taken care of without burning out the same people, who happily help at see FUNDRAISER page 3
WILLISTONOBSERVER.COM
Taking the plunge!
OBSERVER PHOTO BY AL FREY
Above: Williston middle school students and staff brave the frigid waters of Lake Champlain at the Penguin Plunge for Vermont Special Olympics on Saturday. Below: CVU students ‘frolic’ in the cold.
OBSERVER PHOTO BY AL FREY
Child care in Vermont: proposed $17 million increase to subsidy State seeks to address low pay, workforce shortages By Clover Whitham
Observer correspondent
That high-quality child care is expensive and hard to find in Vermont is nothing new to parents, politicians and educators. It’s a perennial topic at the Statehouse and in family homes.
In his budget address last month, Gov. Phil Scott pitched a $7 million increase to the state’s child care subsidy program as a way to attract and keep young families in Vermont. Last week, a group of lawmakers introduced legislation that intends to get more children into high quality child care, and to better pay and retain early educators. Trisha Scharf, owner of Children
Unlimited on Dorset Lane in Williston, believes the proposed House legislation is significant. Scharf, who has worked in the field for nearly three decades, is hopeful about the proposal because it addresses longstanding workforce issues. At the same time that many families struggle to afford high quality care, those providing the care aren’t making a livable wage.
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Children Unlimited serves 53 families with a staff of 14. Scharf says it’s hard to recruit and keep employees. To provide quality care that earns the center starred ratings, Scharf needs to hire staff with associate’s or bachelor’s degree-level education, but can afford to pay them only between $12-14 an hour. Scharf said she has seen valued employees leave for small pay increases to employers, such
as public schools, that are able to provide benefits. On top of the low pay, early childhood educators are expected to continue their education, which means additional time put in after work hours. Lawmakers say the proposal addresses problems of low pay and workforce shortages with scholarships, loan repayment assistance see CHILD CARE page 2
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