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I lived in brooklyn all my life and recently moved to Valley Stream a few years ago before I had the babies. I am really upset that in certain parts of LI they have universal Pre Kindergarten programs but not in Valley Stream meanwhile in the 5 boroughs there is a school in every corner that participates in this program. I also noticed there are no Head Start Programs either which is really bizarre to me as well. Since I am new to the neighborhood I was wondering if anyone else was upset about this as well? Maybe we can start an awareness to this issue and to get it implemented in Valley Stream?
I have researched all the nursery school/PreK programs in Valley Stream and I think the prices are an outrage. There has to be another way working parents do not break their pockets every month looking for a school for their children. Sending them to school so they can interact with other children cost more than damn childcare these days. It is Crazy.
Good luck in this economy getting home owners to dig even deeper into their pockets to pay a higher property tax bill to pay for this.
2010 should be a real joy for homeowners as we get to pay for the things the stimulus plan covered last year, make up for the pension shortfall that the wall street crash caused, and deal with the state's proposed cuts to education.
I lived in brooklyn all my life and recently moved to Valley Stream a few years ago before I had the babies. I am really upset that in certain parts of LI they have universal Pre Kindergarten programs but not in Valley Stream meanwhile in the 5 boroughs there is a school in every corner that participates in this program. I also noticed there are no Head Start Programs either which is really bizarre to me as well. Since I am new to the neighborhood I was wondering if anyone else was upset about this as well? Maybe we can start an awareness to this issue and to get it implemented in Valley Stream?
I have researched all the nursery school/PreK programs in Valley Stream and I think the prices are an outrage. There has to be another way working parents do not break their pockets every month looking for a school for their children. Sending them to school so they can interact with other children cost more than damn childcare these days. It is Crazy.
Valley Stream is a solidly middle class community. Parents in Valley Stream "take care of their own" when it comes to the cost of child care and do not expect to be supplemented by the government with additional programs. That is the way it is in Valley Stream. Since we are not a poverty stricken community we cannot very well demand the level of services given to parents who are low class.
If you wanted Head Start, you should have moved to somewhere that is much lower class (Freeport, Roosevelt, Hempstead, Uniondale, etc.) where the Federal government supplements education because of poverty in the area.
If you wanted Head Start, you should have moved to somewhere that is much lower class (Freeport, Roosevelt, Hempstead, Uniondale, etc.) where the Federal government supplements education because of poverty in the area.
I basically posted this reply on the other universal pre-k thread.
There used to be a headstart program in Hempstead. Don't know if it is still there. There also used to be a summer prekindergarten program for children who will be attending kindergarten that fall in VS District 24. I doubt if there will be any chance of a prekindergarten program in the Valley Stream schools any time soon. It was not that long ago that kindergarten in district 24 was half day only. The childcare center on Sunrise Highway closed quite some time ago even though the empty building is still there. You could try Wooden Shoe, but yes, you will have to pay for it. We do not have universal prekindergarten on Long Island. The districts that do have prekindergarten programs are run by the individual school districts and are not funded federally. At one time, East Rockaway was interested in implementing a universal pre-k but it was decided that it was too expensive. The private childcare programs have also declined the idea because the reimbursement for a universal pre-kindergarten tuition is much lower than what they can get from parents and that with less money, the quality of the programs would suffer.
Kindergarten is not mandatory in New York State. So there is no legal requirement for districts to offer kindergarten, let alone pre-kindergarten.
I was born & raised in College Point, Queens. To those who aren't up with their history, College Point was the home of the FIRST KINDERGARTEN in the United States. I lived in a town that had MANY public schools (as well as private) and was VERY PROUD of our history. Now, so many years later, I live in Nassau County, where I'm trying very hard to raise 2 toddlers. Because of our current situation, my husband & I cannot afford to live anywhere else (where we live, for what we pay & we will NOT find it ANYWHERE else throughout Nassau or Queens counties). We are BARELY keeping our heads afloat & have tighten our belts on every possible luxury. We work, we never go out (babysitters cost more than the evening), we don't buy new clothes or shoes for ourselves, EVERYTHING is revolved around our 2 children.
Now, our kids are old enough to start pre-kindergarten. But in Nassau county, specifically where we live & the surrounding areas, our kids do not have the option for a free pre-k or universal pre-k. Even to send them both for a full year to the most affordable school (2 days a week, 2 hours a day) STILL comes out to over $3000 a year. It's INSANITY. No, there may not be a LEGAL requirement for districts to offer Kindergarten or Pre-K for free - BUT WHY IS THAT? In an era where more & more of our children's academics are relied upon them "prepared" for school & these asinine Common Core requisites, WHY aren't there MORE options for these children to have a free education?? To prepare these young minds for what they are about to endure in their futures?
It makes absolutely NO sense. The "powers that be" want our children to be prepared, so they CAN succeed, yet - the ONLY ONES who are "able" to go forward in the first steps are those who can afford the tuition. The system is so beyond backwards. It is impossible for our kids to be amongst their peers & become acclimated to a society that expects so much from them at such a young age, yet make it IMPOSSIBLE for them to take the first steps. All because their parents can't afford to send them to a program that will help them adjust for their future.
There are VERY FEW programs across Nassau County that will offer a free pre-k or kindergarten & those that do, usually offer a "raffle" of sorts to see which of our kids will be accepted into these programs. Those that DO offer programs or "raffles" aren't universal & ONLY specific to those who can prove residency in that school district. It's mind blowing.
I'm VERY MUCH upset about this, because we're struggling to send ONE toddler into a pre-k program ($3,000+ a year for TWO days a week & 2 hours each day!), while I tell his younger brother (who is of age to attend the same school) that he can't go to school because mommy & daddy cannot afford it.
No, it may not be a law requirement - but IT SHOULD BE. If schools are now having basic requirements that raises the bar, prior to kids enrolling in kindergarten - then the communities SHOULD have the benefit of a FREE education, so our kids CAN have a chance of succeeding & excelling in their education & NOT be pushed back, solely because their parents couldn't afford their education.
I basically posted this reply on the other universal pre-k thread.
There used to be a headstart program in Hempstead. Don't know if it is still there. There also used to be a summer prekindergarten program for children who will be attending kindergarten that fall in VS District 24. I doubt if there will be any chance of a prekindergarten program in the Valley Stream schools any time soon. It was not that long ago that kindergarten in district 24 was half day only. The childcare center on Sunrise Highway closed quite some time ago even though the empty building is still there. You could try Wooden Shoe, but yes, you will have to pay for it. We do not have universal prekindergarten on Long Island. The districts that do have prekindergarten programs are run by the individual school districts and are not funded federally. At one time, East Rockaway was interested in implementing a universal pre-k but it was decided that it was too expensive. The private childcare programs have also declined the idea because the reimbursement for a universal pre-kindergarten tuition is much lower than what they can get from parents and that with less money, the quality of the programs would suffer.
This makes my brain explode. Please understand that I'm not sitting here with any intentions of attacking YOU personally, but HOPEFULLY we can ALL raise awareness together.
It is just mind blowing for me to know that in THIS day & age, there are too many places that would refuse government funding for education, so more children can benefit from an early education - pretty much because they KNOW they can scalp desperate parents for MORE money in the interim. It's absurd that there are districts in Nassau County (now more in Suffolk & those in Nassau are dwindling or nonexistent) who are willing to sacrifice education for early learners, solely because they financially benefit more from desperate parents. Nassau County has moved to the top of the spectrum as far as paying the MOST for living (not only in NY, but throughout the United States). Those of us who set roots in where we live, are not only barely surviving the steadfast upstream of costs of basic survival (utilities; food; cost of living - period), but MANY are STILL trying to overcome damages & devastations from natural disasters (Irene; Sandy; etc).
It's just beyond incomprehensible that so many live with these struggles & NOT ENOUGH voice what we NEED. I'll never forget bringing my first child to Gymboree classes when he was 4 months old & other parents talking about how the cost of daycare was MORE than their mortgage payments. I wasn't concerned at the time, thinking I would eventually return to work (with 1/3rd the income I was used to, because I worked in an office closer to home vs a major firm in the city that I've been used to for the previous 15 years). Even with such a drastic slope in my salary, I thought we could still afford what we NEEDED. Reality hit VERY HARD when I was unexpectedly pregnant again & no longer was able to return to my mediocre "job" which had replaced my "career" in the city.
I will NEVER regret having my children, they ARE the reason I live & breathe - but they made me MORE aware of how the government & education system are failing. NOW, I'm realizing that our democracy is looking more of a class system that you see in third world countries. Those who "have" will always benefit & those who struggle, don't have much of a chance. It isn't fair. This NEEDS to change so our future stands a chance.
It starts HERE. More voices NEED to be heard. More people NEED to put a stop to allowing those who CAN afford to get ahead to exceed beyond those who STRUGGLE SO HARD to get afloat. Our future depends on it - our CHILDREN deserve better.
I lived in brooklyn all my life and recently moved to Valley Stream a few years ago before I had the babies. I am really upset that in certain parts of LI they have universal Pre Kindergarten programs but not in Valley Stream meanwhile in the 5 boroughs there is a school in every corner that participates in this program. I also noticed there are no Head Start Programs either which is really bizarre to me as well. Since I am new to the neighborhood I was wondering if anyone else was upset about this as well? Maybe we can start an awareness to this issue and to get it implemented in Valley Stream?
I have researched all the nursery school/PreK programs in Valley Stream and I think the prices are an outrage. There has to be another way working parents do not break their pockets every month looking for a school for their children. Sending them to school so they can interact with other children cost more than damn childcare these days. It is Crazy.
I think other issue is Catholic and Yeshivas (JCC) etc provide a lot of pre-k programs. They do it at a lower cost than a public school can.
"Free pre-K" would force parents who would like a religious pre-school to pay double, once in their taxes for the "free public" school and a second time for their tuition.
Also the "free pre-k" will increase your taxes forever. Even parents with kids would rather pay once and be done and not pay for it forever, finally not all folks even use pre-k. Stay at home Moms often just do a 1-2 day thing. or working moms often do day care.
It actually is free for lower income folks. And religious schools, catholic, jewish etc will never deny someone who cant afford it. Also some catholic schools will let kids go for free if Mom volunteers to help out in office or class room.
So making it free for folks who can afford it what is point, the poor can get it for free already.
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Seriously?
