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history of the center. The center currently serves 88 children, representing 73 families and 129 working adults. Other parents are in school preparing to enter the work force. She said that for every fulltime teacher the center employs, approximately eight other people are able to work. She said that every time a teacher starts a family of her own, she is concerned about whether she will be able to return to work and if she will be able to afford childcare. The average salary for her teachers is $11.20, or $23,303 a year. She said that childcare could only have a positive affect on children when it is high quality, and high quality programs must have experienced teachers who are trained in early childhood education. She said that Chapel Hill Daycare Center's financial resources are very limited and the cost of providing care is increasing. To cover her casts next year, infant tuition will be $1,195 per month and preschool tuition will be $870 per month. For these reasons, she thinks it is in the County's best interest to help these families have childcare so that other people can go to work. She spoke in support of funding for scholarships for the children of childcare providers. Melissa Williams is a parent and board member of the Chapel Hill Daycare Center. Her son has been attending there for almost two years. She said that this center is very high quality. She said that her son has bonded with his teachers and she and her husband have also bonded with his teachers. She said that these teachers are helping her raise their son and they deserve the chance to have their children raised in a quality daycare that allows them to work in a job they love without sacrificing the welfare of their own children or their desire to work. She asked that County money be provided to fund childcare scholarships for childcare employees. N. Maria Martin-Holland is a former early childhood educator and a parent subsidized by DSS of Orange County. She explained the benefits of having subsidy in Orange County. She is a single parent of two small children, one of which is a special needs child. Having this subsidy allows her the ability to go to work and know that her children are in a nurturing, warm, and educational environment so that they will be mare productive when they go into public school. Claudia Haskins is a resident of Carrboro and teacher of English as a Second Language at Culbreth and Phillips Middle Schools. She has come before the Board in the past to present the needs of growing minority groups. She thanked the Board for listening and financially supporting the two school systems so that they could establish and fund emerging programs. She said that they are all now caught in serious economic difficulties. She is frightened by the school budget shortfalls because she is afraid that essential programs already in place will be lost. She asked haw the County Commissioners would determine where to draw the line in choosing wham or what or how much to fund in the upcoming years. She said that Orange County's future is in the children and all are worthy of a solid education with support when and where needed. She said that if the community cannot fully educate its children without sacrificing in other areas, the future of the community is bleak. She asked that the County Commissioners continue to carefully contemplate what will determine the future. She said that her grandfather six or seven generations back came to Orange County in 1767 as an indentured servant and the leaders of Cane Creek supported him financially as he helped them build Orange County. Through difficult times, they educated their children and brought us to where we are tonight. She said that the County Commissioners hold the most valuable possession of the County's future -our children. She asked the County Commissioners to please help bath school systems by continued funding to the highest percentage possible.