“It began when my husband Phil and I started looking for a preschool for our children. We visited programs, talked to preschool teachers, and tried to imagine our kids sitting at tiny tables, making friends, and climbing on outdoor play structures.

“We started to see how complex – and at times heartbreaking – the quest for finding a quality preschool can be. I asked our preschool director if she ever had to turn children away because their parents couldn’t afford to pay for it. Sure, she told me, every year for the last 28 years. I asked if there were children this year who couldn’t afford it. She said there were five.

“Of course I couldn’t sleep at night knowing this, so I wrote a check for those five children to go to preschool. Phil already knew the answer, but he still asked if I intended to keep doing this. Probably, I said.

“Phil suggested that we go big, and we created Taly Foundation.”

“Invest in young children now: Pre-K programs help parents and build workforce of future,” by Jill Dixon, CommonWealth Magazine, August 22, 2017