CentroNía parents testified to members of the Council of the District of Columbia’s Human Services committee on April 26, 2007 urging it to restore cuts to early childhood education programming currently pending in the District’s FY 2008 budget.

Luis Villanueva

My name is Luis Villanueva and I am a resident of the Columbia Heights, NW area of Washington, DC. My son Julio, who is 4 years old, attends the Pre-K Incentive Program at CentroNía.

The main benefit that my son gets by attending the school is that he is beginning his education at an early age. If he had entered school at age 5 he would have been 2 years behind in his learning process. But since he is enrolled at CentroNía he is ready for Kindergarten, has access to technology and in addition is being taught in a bilingual setting.

We are in a time of much competition and especially because of being Latino, I would like that my son be ready for school and that he has the same educational and life opportunities that other children have.

Among the most important benefits that my son receives at CentroNía, I can mention:
- That he shows more interest in learning another language, in this case English;
- That his interest in reading has been awaked;
- That he has learned to interact much more with other children;
- And that he can communicate with children of other races and communities, which is very important in this time.

If I did not have my son in this school, I would most likely have to pay to a Spanish-speaking baby sitter to take care of him. In that case my son would have less access to a bilingual education and all the benefits that CentroNía’s Pre-K Incentive Program offers.

After seeing my child’s progress during the last 6 months, I trust this program, because:
- The facilities are modern;
- Security in all the places of entrance exists;
- The teachers are patient and are very well trained;
- All are dedicated and committed to their work.

If my son were not enrolled in the Pre-K program at CentroNía, it would affect me financially as I would most likely have to stop working to take care of my son and would certainly have to find a private school in order for my child to obtain the same benefits. I am very grateful for the opportunities that this program has given my son, and I hope that other parents are able to take advantage of the same wonderful programming for many years into the future.