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The recent round of state budget cutting has resulted in the Wachusett CPC budget being cut by $16,260 in Fiscal Year (FY) 2002. Since the fiscal year began July 1, 2001, the cuts have come halfway through the year, not an ideal situation.

The Wachusett CPC council met on December 12, 2001 and voted to amend the CPC budget. Services to families will not be impacted by the budget cuts. The council also showed strong support for program accreditation by not cutting those funds either.

Cuts were made in the area of program supplies and comprehensive services such as behavior consulting and speech/language consulting.  Providers should be aware that there is still  money in the budget for comprehensive services at this time if needed.  It should continue to be used until it is spent, as long as there are needs in those areas.

Other cuts included full funding for the Spring course, through Mt. Wachusett Community College, in Behavior Management.   Students can expect to pay $100 towards the cost of the course.  The CPC will still fund the remainder of the cost.  Funds for area libraries were reduced by $500 overall - $100 from each library.  Libraries will still receive $200 for literacy based materials.

It is not known at this time if these cuts will affect the level of funding for next year.  The Board of Education submitted a budget to the Govenor  in November that contained a request that programs be level funded at pre-cut amounts.   However, the state budget goes through many hands and many changes before being finalized and the outcome is never certain.

• Services and programs will continue despite state budget cuts.

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Funding for parent/child events to be held ar area libraries was kept in the CPC budget despite cuts.  The feeling of members present was that this important method of community outreach should not be bypassed.

The CPC council voted to contract with King's Way Puppet Shows for five shows to be held
at each of our local libraries on various Saturday mornings this spring.  Many providers had enjoyed King's Way's shows before and they came highly recommended.  When the dates are set, the shows will be advertised through flyers and local newspapers.

King's Way uses many types of puppets in their shows, including hand puppets and marionettes,  and features a variety of themes and backdrops which will vary from show to show.

The Department of Education (DOE) has developed a three year evaluation cycle for CPC programs to follow.  Year one will require CPC's to conduct the Community Profiles survey project.  Year two focuses on Program Evaluation,  and Year three on Council Collaboration.

The Wachusett CPC has been placed in the Year three spot, and will evaluate its efforts at collaboration.  The DOE has developed a seven page survey that investigates how well the council collaborates among themselves, and also with other agencies.  All council members will be asked to fill out the survey.  Eighteen members completed the survey at the January CPC meeting.

Depending on needs or areas of improvement identified in the survey, the CPC will have to undertake another activity such as interviews with council members, or focus groups which will focus on the needs identified in the survey.  Goal setting may be involved.  The CPC council will have to decide how best to implement the second activity, given that there are no funds for evaluation in the FY '02 budget.

Preliminary analysis of the 18 surveys received back so far indicate a high level of satisfaction with council function & collaboration.  One area that seems to indicate a need for improvement is in expanding the scope of the council to include more members who do not directly serve preschool aged children, such as business or local government representatives.  The survey results will be discussed at the next meeting.

Question : I am certain that you have been asked this question a million times, but I had to ask, "Are antibacterial soaps better than regular soap?

Answer: I am very glad that you e-mailed me with that question ! 
There is quite a bit of confusion (and many debates) surrounding this topic, but I will attempt to clear the air and really give you the "Dirt on Soap".

First of all it is important to understand the two basic functions of soap, which are to decrease the water's surface tension and bind to dirt, oil,  and bacteria that are easily scrubbed off (friction, friction and more friction) and washed away.  This occurs because one component of soap is water binding and the other is water repellent.   Now that the chemistry lesson is over, we can proceed.

It seems as though just about everything is antibacterial these days, including about 75% of all liquid soaps on the market!  But are they really working?  Are we cleaner now than ever before?

Sorry, I should be answering  the questions, not asking them!  Please consider the following:

A common component found in antibacterial soaps is triclosan, which really needs to be left on the surface for about two minutes in order to be effective .  Now this is wonderful but most of us are not this patient and we usually end up washing off the soap before the antibacterial ingredients can work.  Also, please keep in mind that many common diseases are viral in nature anyway, and are not prevented by using antibacterial products. 

Before I quote the experts, let me say that 1 personally neither support nor condemn the use of antibacterial soaps,  however I do agree with the following statements:

A spokesperson for the FDA stated the benefit of regular use of antibacterial soap products has not been fully demonstrated.   He notes that washing your hands with regular soap and water will sufficiently  remove bacteria from your hands.

• Some scientists theorize that bacteria may develop a resistance to bacterial agents over time.  Certain bacteria actually benefit us.  The normal population of bacteria on our skin helps defend against truly harmful, invasive bacteria.

• According to the CDC  (Center for Disease Control) antibacterial soaps are  not necessary.  But washing  your hands thoroughly  with ordinary soap and  warm water is one of the most effective ways  to  ward off infection.

U.S. Senators:

U.S. Representative:

James P. McGovern
34 Mechanic Street
Worcester, MA 01608 
508-831-7356 * www.house.gov/mcgovern/

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