Music from an iPod keeps the students energized. At the end of the session, each student recorded their heart rate in a personal training folder. The exercise equipment was purchased with a General Mills Grant to improve cardiovascular health in students. A Reaching Heights grant purchased the iPod that allows Mr. Nemeth to play music with appropriate beats for warm up, work out and warm down exercise phases.

The Early Childhood Center is part of an elementary school community in a wing of the Gearity Professional Development School in University Heights. That connection provides a clear benefit to families, and Mangano feels that expectations for kindergarten are easier to grasp because her daughters see other kindergartners and teachers in the building. It's part of a special learning community at Gearity that encompasses the preschool through fifth grade student population.

The team of 21 preschool teachers and aides are meticulous in their approach to educating preschoolers, and their passion for teaching radiates from every classroom.

"The teachers really care about the children," Mangano said. "It does not seem as though they are just doing their job, but are part of a team, working with my husband and I to bring out the best in our daughters."

Read the rest of the story of the great work taking place at the Early Childhood Center at http://chuh.org/news/news_02_28_2008.shtml

The online version is live at http://www.heig htsobserver.org, and a print version is in the works.

Share your thoughts on how to best use the Coventry building via email to coventrysitei nput@chuh.org. The committee has been asked to make its recommendations, which will be reviewed by the Lay Finance Committee, by May 20.

More information about the committee's work is available at h ttp://chuh.org/boe/coventry_committee.shtml

Cleveland Heights is full of musicians ¯ half the Cleveland Orchestra lives here, as do hundreds of music educators and performers. Many of these talented musicians reinforce the strong public school tradition of musical excellence with their participation in the benefit concert.

Cleveland Orchestra violinist Carolyn Gadiel Warner served as Artistic Director for this fourth annual concert and has been the drive and inspiration for the benefit.

Ms Warner was joined by parent-musicians Cynthia Sperl of the Youngstown Symphony; fellow Cleveland Orchestra musician-parents Kathleen Collins, Mark Dumm, Tom Sperl, Stephen Warner and Richard Waugh; and parent-performers Mark and Elizabeth DeMio, Leah Goor, Pamela Kelly, and Laura Shuster who frequently provide private lessons to Heights musicians.

High school performers included Seth Dumm, Wael El-Halabi, Amy Feketik, Amy Gilbert, Alex Kraus, Ryan Jefferis, and Marta Kelleher.

Andy Baskin, Heights High hockey star from the class of 1986 and News Channel 5 Sports Director hosted the casual afternoon. While tracing his own Heights history he reminded the audience of the great opportunities in our schools and the loyalty they inspire in graduates and future parents like him.

¯ by Susie Kaeser

Funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts, The State of Preschool 2007 ranks all 50 states on the percentage of children served and spending per child. It also compares the number of quality benchmarks each state meets for the 2006-2007 school year. The survey found that enrollment, quality and state spending per child increased.

Ohio is one of only seven states that meet less than half of NIEER's quality benchmarks. Ohio, California, Texas and Florida spend less than the national average per child. Texas and California do not limit class size. Ohio, Florida and California do not require preschool teachers to have education comparable to public school teachers. Ohio serves not even 5,000 of its nearly 150,000 4-year-olds.

On a more positive note, the yearbook reported that in 2006-2007:

• Average state spending per child was $3,642, halting a trend of declining per-child commitments that had persisted since at least the 2002-2003 school year.
• More than one million 3- and 4-year-old children attended state-funded preschool education programs.
• Thirty states increased enrollment. Nationally, enrollment was up by 80,000.
• Eight states met higher quality standards. Yet, some states still require preschool education teachers to have little more than a high school diploma.
• Of the 26 states that served 3-year-olds, enrollment increased in all but five states. Overall enrollment of 3-year-olds was up 10 percent, mostly due to increases in Illinois, which became the first state to commit to serving all 3-year-olds.

Full text of The State of Preschool 2007 is available at http:// nieer.org/yearbook/pdf/yearbook.pdf