OTTUMWA —
As an educator, I am happy to voice my support for state Rep. Mary Gaskill. Gaskill has been a champion for Iowa’s children. Thanks to her efforts, there are 250 children in Ottumwa who now benefit from the voluntary preschool program every year. The goal of the statewide voluntary preschool program is to boost student achievement and make sure we have a highly skilled work force.
Pre-K programs for 3- and 4-year-olds can have a great impact on children’s success in school and life. Children are “less likely to be held back a grade, less likely to need special education, more likely to graduate high school, less involved in crime and delinquency, earn more as adults, and are less likely to become dependent on welfare.”
— The National Institute on Early Education Research
Mary Gaskill is a caring, kind and hard-working representative. She truly listens and cares about our youth and was at the forefront of this initiative for funding preschool for these children. I am so proud of Rep. Gaskill, who cares about the children in our community and wants to give them a head start in achieving success.
Thank you, Mary Gaskill, for your continued excellence in supporting education and our children! Please join with me in voting for Mary Gaskill as our representative!
Melinda Quinn
Ottumwa
Letters to the Editor
October 27, 2012
Gaskill has been a champion of children
- Letters to the Editor
-
- Pay attention to safety concerns Time to make Ottumwa a quiet zone for trains, it would make for safer crossings that cannot be driven around when the arms are down. Then they can also concentrate on that instead of changing all of the traffic flow at Evans Middle School, opening cl
- Injuries to infants, children can be prevented In the April 25 Courier, there were two stories of very young children who may have been severely harmed by a caretaker. We only know the circumstances revealed by the media, but our community has heard of these tragedies before. Only about 2 percent
- Church extends a heartfelt thanks As I sit here in my office that still smells of smoke from the fire our church suffered this past week, I remind myself how fortunate we are to be in a city where people still watch out for one another, and we, the members of the First Church of God,
- Program helps new parents In light of recent developments, I would like to increase the public's awareness of the NEST Program available through our Wapello County Extension and Outreach at 214 E. Main St. This program is available for parents of newborns through age 5, as we
- One giant mud hole to China Once upon a time, long, long ago, the neighbor kids and I used to like to dig in the ditch after a nice rain and make mud pies. We’d squat beside our hole in the ground with our long-handled spoons and take turns digging and filling our muffin pans
- Superintendent says 'thank you' May is School Board Appreciation Month. Today, the district held its Staff Appreciation and Teacher of the Year Breakfast, and last week was the Faculty Follies program organized by the Education Foundation for Fairfield Public Schools. I am full of
- Address mental health concerns for veterans Memorial Day will soon be here and we will pay tribute to our deceased loved ones. This Memorial Day, let's pay special tribute to our deceased veterans — like my dad — Don Butts, who served in World War II (Battle of the Bulge — one of the worst bat
- It's the death of a republic It's the death of a republic Our first president -- and founding father -- once said during his administration that "at best, government is a fearful master; at worst, it is a consuming fire." During the later 20th century, the number of defenseles
- Judicial system is out of whack
- LWV responds to letter The League of Women Voters — Ottumwa would like to respond to a recent letter to the editor. We will explain more about our forums that we co-host with the Chamber of Commerce every spring, specifically regarding the issue of asking Curt Hanson to
- More Letters to the Editor Headlines
