By collaborating efforts to invest in young children, educating their parents and the public and insuring that all children have an opportunity to be successful in school, United Way contributes to this effort. For instance, United Way of Milford supports Milford Kids Count, Good Shepherd Day Care, East Shore Day Care and YMCA's Child Care Program.

 There are a wide variety of choices parents can make when deciding which preschool best fits their need. Milford has over twenty-two preschools - some smaller than others, some home based while others are center based.

Many of the preschools have been providing the typical preschool experience for over twenty five years, while others are brand new. Milford-Orange YMCA has earned accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children - the nation's leading organization of early childhood professionals.

"We're proud to be accredited by NAEYC, and recognized for our commitment to reaching the highest professional standards," said Mark Pasquariello, Child Care Director, Milford-Orange YMCA. "NAEYC Accreditation lets families in our community know that children in our program are getting the best care and early learning experiences."

More than 8,000 early childhood programs-serving nearly three-quarters of a million children-are currently accredited by NAEYC. By earning accreditation, Milford - Orange YMCA has become a leader in a national effort to raise the quality of early childhood education, and to help give all children a better start.

Good Shepherd and East Shore Day Care Centers, who currently have 73 children enrolled in their preschools, are also supported by United Way of Milford. Eighty-nine percent of these families earn less than 75% of the state median income and are thus eligible for the sliding fee scale. All children at the centers receive breakfast, a hot lunch and an afternoon snack at no extra charge. They are approved by the USDA food program and meet the meal pattern requirements.

"We continue to receive three to five calls per week for infant and toddler care, and there is a continuing waiting list for that age group," said Gloria Hayes, Executive Director of Good Shepherd and East Shore Day Care Centers.

The East Shore Day Care Center is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and Good Shepherd Day Care Center has received their validation visit for accreditation and will be hearing from them soon about accreditation.

The city of Milford is one where the focus on quality of life starts with the very young. Through the efforts of many fine community organizations, matters related to the care and education of children are one reason so many families have decided to raise their families in Milford.

"Milford is on the cutting edge of preschool readiness," said Peggy Kelly, Executive Director of Kids Count of Milford and Milford's Family Resource Center. "The United Way and the Milford Public School System had the foresight back in the early 1990's to begin a true community collaborative effort to improve outcomes for young children and to prepare them for kindergarten."

Kids Count of Milford helps develop, enhance and promote the educational, social, emotional and physical well-being of children from birth to age five so that they enter kindergarten ready to learn. Over the past eight years, The Milford Family Resource Center has been working with Kids Count of Milford to promote the importance of preschool to parents of young children.

As most parents and early childhood professionals now know, there is an ever-increasing body of research that indicates that children who attend high quality early childhood programs benefit socially, emotionally and cognitively.

"High quality preschool programs make important contributions to our community by nurturing the unique strengths of each child, thereby allowing children to reach their full potential," said Kelly.

In addition, these children demonstrate high levels of social competence-self esteem, social behavior, and motivation - a critical predictor of adult adaptation. Under the guidance of responsive and consistent teachers in a nurturing environment, children learn important social skills such as initiating and developing satisfying relationships with adults and peers, developing the ability to regulate emotions, communicating needs, desires and difficulties, and engaging in age appropriate problem solving are acquired.

Socially competent preschool children are not only more likely to have success throughout their school years, but are more likely to make positive contributions to the community.

Milford is one of 48 Connecticut communities to receive a Discovery grant to improve early childhood education from the William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund.

"The Discovery communities are working collaboratively - school superintendents, parents and teachers alongside mayors and municipal leaders - to understand the needs of their youngest citizens and to build better systems of care and education," said David Nee, executive director of the Graustein Memorial Fund. "This important work cannot succeed without the meaningful engagement and leadership of the parents of young children."

The Milford Collaborative Discovery Initiative's shared vision for young children is that "Every Child in Milford will enter school ready to learn and to have access to quality affordable day care and preschool programs."

Inherent in this vision is the understanding that the project already in progress will continue and expand.

That project is one where early identification of children who are demonstrating or are at risk of demonstrating challenging, delayed or disordered behaviors are offered services through child care training, encouragement, support and training of parents and referral to other services within the community.

Research shows that children enrolled in good preschool programs tend to have a positive transition into kindergarten, are more successful in later school years and show higher verbal and intellectual development than those who do not attend high quality programs.

It is often difficult to make an investment now in preventative programs because the dividends may not be paid out for years to come. There is no instant gratification. However, the United States prison system bases part of its decision making on how many prisons to build on the literacy rate of third grade students. This fact alone should further understanding of the value of investing in children right from the beginning.

Peggy Kelly contributed to this article.