I’ve been hearing about a pre-school petition to increase the number of pre-K classes in Brooklyn’s District 15. Here, My Sidewalk Talk, explains the situation:
Here is the issue in a nutshell. There has been tremendous building in all of the neighborhoods in northwest Brooklyn in the school Districts 14 (Williamsburg/Greenpoint) District 13 Brooklyn Heights/Dumbo to Western Bed Stuy) District 15 (Cobble Hill and Park Slope down to Sunset Park and Kensingston) PreKs are not mandated grades in public school and there can only be as many classes as there are free classrooms in a school. These classrooms can only serve 18 students by law. Some of the schools have half day preKs to reach more families, but that doesn’t help if you need coverage as well as education. As the schools fill up they will be forced to take over classrooms which usually house preK classes. It makes sense to group preK classes together in Public School Early Childhood Centers where staff can share resources and development. Sunset Park has the Magnet School for Early Childhood that has been very successful and has a waiting list. The city is building a new Early Childhood Center at 64th and 4th Ave. which will house 18 classrooms for PreK through 2nd grade as well as a medical suite, library, indoor playspace, cafeteria, community/parent room, a playground and will be the first “green school” in Brooklyn. It will serve the great need in Sunset Park, but not in the rest of the District.
Parents in the northern section of District 15 are becoming concerned that a number of the few preK classes available will be in jeopardy in the next couple of years so they are beginning to organize around the idea of starting their own Early Childhood Center a little further north. Everybody thinks that the parents in Park Slope and Carroll Gardens are affluent and they will manage on their own. The thing is that these neighborhoods are tremendously diverse including the projects and pioneers in Red Hook and Boerum Hill, the artists in Gowanus the working class families from Carroll gardens to Windsor Terrace, the new immigrants as well as the high rises along 4th Ave. and all of these parents are working to keep their heads just above water. What starts here can spread to Fort Greene, Bed Stuy, Greenpoint and beyond. The City tried to make the preK process more fair last year by instituting the lottery. All it showed us was how desperate families are for a reasonable, local, quality preK option.
I don’t think anybody disputes the benefits of appropriate early childhood education. The benefits to pre-literacy and socialization have been documented for years. Families also need a break financially, and unfortunately it seems that “Universal” PreK is just a dream. If it is true that the mommies run Brooklyn it is time we make our power felt and get our needs met.
I did some very fast numbers based on the Accountability reports from 2006. The schools I listed were ones that are not within range of the Magnet School for Early Childhood and they didn’t seem to be breaking even on their preK/ K populations. Check out 107, 146, 261 and 321 in particular. As the buildings on 4th Ave. fill up 321 will need it’s preK classrooms for K and the population at 124 and 295 will most certainly increase.
PS 10, prek 54 seats, K 87 seats
PS 15, prek 29, K 50
PS 29, prek 54, K 79
PS 39, prek 36, K 61
PS 58, prek 70, K84
PS 107, prek 18, K 84
PS 124, prek 35, K 39
PS 130, prek 52 (but none of them is full day) K 83
PS 146, prek 36, K 81
PS 261, prek 36, K 108
PS 295, prek 36, K 52
PS 321, prek 52 (but only 18 are full day) K 191Please help us to bring this issue to the attention of the DOE. We need to get the word out so that concerned parents can sign Melissa’s petition.
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/ECCforBROOKLYN/Thanks,
Joyce Szuflita
www.nycschoolhelp.com
www.mysidewalkchalk.blogspot.com