Continue to fund half-day Pre-K!
Continue to fund half-day Pre-K!
The Issue
Mayor de Blasio's new "Pre-K for All" initiative sounds great on the surface, but in actuality he is taking away families' right to choose what is best for our children. NYC is currently cutting funding for half-day Pre-K programs and replacing them with full-day. Although this serves many families and children well, one size does not fit all. Stand with us and ask New York City to protect families’ right to choose by continuing to also fund half-day pre-K!
I am a stay-at-home mom, and I love half-day pre-K! It allows me to still be the primary influence in my preschooler's world, but gives my child the chance to gradually adjust to a classroom environment. Last year the half-day programs were free. Next year only full-day pre-K will be free and if I really only want half-day I would have to pay $5000 for a private program, which I cannot afford because I don’t get paid for my full-time-mom job! Besides, why should full-day be free, and half-day cost so much for my family?!
It also makes sense from a budgetary standpoint to continue the half-day programs for those who prefer it. Even if half-day enrollment is only 10% of the estimated 73,250 total number of pre-K children, the city and taxpayers would save approximately 36.6 million dollars annually!
Each child and each family is different, which is why providing both options will produce the most involvement in the pre-K program. Many families may be well-served by full-day pre-K because it will reduce childcare costs, but not all 4-year-olds need to be at school for 6 hours and 20 minutes a day. Ready to Launch: NYC’s Implementation Plan for Free, High-Quality, Full Day Universal Pre-Kindergarten states that “Ultimately, all families with 4-year-olds who want full-day pre-K will have access to free services with consistent quality standards and support for teachers and administrators.” [emphasis added] Here is the problem: not all families with 4-year-olds WANT full-day pre-K. We love half-day too, can we keep it? Please allow community-based schools who contract with the Board of Education to offer both half-day and full-day programs! Let us truly create Pre-K for all.
Sincerely,
Andrea Stockton
Bay Ridge, Brooklyn resident and stay-at-home mom of three
The Issue
Mayor de Blasio's new "Pre-K for All" initiative sounds great on the surface, but in actuality he is taking away families' right to choose what is best for our children. NYC is currently cutting funding for half-day Pre-K programs and replacing them with full-day. Although this serves many families and children well, one size does not fit all. Stand with us and ask New York City to protect families’ right to choose by continuing to also fund half-day pre-K!
I am a stay-at-home mom, and I love half-day pre-K! It allows me to still be the primary influence in my preschooler's world, but gives my child the chance to gradually adjust to a classroom environment. Last year the half-day programs were free. Next year only full-day pre-K will be free and if I really only want half-day I would have to pay $5000 for a private program, which I cannot afford because I don’t get paid for my full-time-mom job! Besides, why should full-day be free, and half-day cost so much for my family?!
It also makes sense from a budgetary standpoint to continue the half-day programs for those who prefer it. Even if half-day enrollment is only 10% of the estimated 73,250 total number of pre-K children, the city and taxpayers would save approximately 36.6 million dollars annually!
Each child and each family is different, which is why providing both options will produce the most involvement in the pre-K program. Many families may be well-served by full-day pre-K because it will reduce childcare costs, but not all 4-year-olds need to be at school for 6 hours and 20 minutes a day. Ready to Launch: NYC’s Implementation Plan for Free, High-Quality, Full Day Universal Pre-Kindergarten states that “Ultimately, all families with 4-year-olds who want full-day pre-K will have access to free services with consistent quality standards and support for teachers and administrators.” [emphasis added] Here is the problem: not all families with 4-year-olds WANT full-day pre-K. We love half-day too, can we keep it? Please allow community-based schools who contract with the Board of Education to offer both half-day and full-day programs! Let us truly create Pre-K for all.
Sincerely,
Andrea Stockton
Bay Ridge, Brooklyn resident and stay-at-home mom of three
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Petition created on March 21, 2015