Blog Entry #2

My CP, the Institute for Human and Social Development, (IHSD) came into being through the need for affordable early education and child care, especially in low-income communities in San Mateo County. Childcare and early education are extremely expensive and are often inaccessible. For example, when I was a child, my parents enrolled me in a preschool and childcare center that cost them $500 a month, and this was back in the early 2000s. I feel like the local government in general, but especially in San Mateo County, often neglects the school system and the needs of students. While there are waivers and applications available statewide to lessen the financial burden of early education, the task is daunting, and often the acceptance of applications is solely based on financial needs, which, while important, fails to acknowledge that families may overshoot the minimum amount of income to be eligible and still need childcare and early education. Oftentimes these families may be discouraged from applying because of language barriers as well. While the local government does partially fund programs like IHSD, they mainly rely on federal funding and private donations to function. 

I feel as though the state government, while seemingly more organized compared to the federal government (at least in the case of California), neglects these deeply important organizations. The state has the ability to locate at least a fraction of its funds to organizations like IHSD, organizations that fuel the futures of the next generation. From my experience as a student attending public school in San Mateo County, I could tell that the schools I attended, along with many others, were not getting the sufficient funding they needed (to the point where some classes were canceled or unavailable because there was not enough money there for them to keep going). Perhaps to the state legislature, education (especially early education) is something on the back burner, something that does not necessarily need the support of the state government in order to function smoothly. 

The young children (and the parents of the children) of San Mateo County are whom my CP is accountable for. Considering that the state rarely seems to invest in education in San Mateo County in general (and even less for early education), the IHSD makes finding early education and childcare much more inviting and streamlined. Children are more easily able to receive an early education that can mold the rest of their lives. Both they and their parents can get the support they need through the IHSD.