Fit that ex-dean with a thinking cap

I HAVE not read Harry Lewis's book, so I cannot form an opinion on his thoughts about Harvard's treatment of its students (``Ex-dean says Harvard run like day care," City & Region, May 27). I do, however, run an early-childhood center and can say with certainty that his use of ``day care" to characterize an institution that coddles its charges is misguided. Early-childhood centers encourage children to be independent, curious, self-sufficient, and enterprising. Maybe Harvard's problem is that it is not run more like day care.

GAIL M. MACDONALD
Quincy