Letters to the Editor

+ Ryan misses the mark
Dear Editor:
Rep. Paul Ryan brought his book tour to Sarasota to spread the message about his anti-poverty plan, the cornerstone of which he has dubbed “Opportunity Grants.” While we can all agree that expanding opportunity is indeed a core American value and something Congress should be working on, Mr. Ryan’s assertions that federal programs and policies limit opportunity for our nation’s most vulnerable children and families are shortsighted. 

For 50 years Head Start, a federally funded program, has been at the forefront of early-childhood education, providing leading-edge programs to America’s most disadvantaged children. Today, as a student at the University of Miami pursuing a degree in broadcast journalism, I will never forget how my experiences at the Sarasota County Children First Head Start Center laid the foundation for my future success. Head Start also offered my single mother the stability, security and family support to place her on the path to self-sufficiency, while fully preparing me to succeed in kindergarten.

The bottom line is simple: Head Start works. I am living proof, as are the other 30 million Head Start alumni: educators, business owners, poets, physicians, journalists, clergy, military personnel, social workers, sheriffs, politicians, researchers and performers. Head Start epitomizes federal programs designed to lift families and children out of poverty and empower them. Before making blanket public policy prescriptions, it would be wise for Mr. Ryan to consider the old adage, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Breanna Browning
Sarasota