Editor’s note: This press release was provided by the member s of the New York State Assembly holding the press conferences.

YONKERS, WHITE PLAINS, and NEW CITY, NY – The members of the New York State Assembly representing the communities of Westchester and Rockland Counties will host three press events on Thursday, September 5 to coincide with “Back to School” week.

The legislators will be joined by school officials and early childhood education advocates as they request that Governor Cuomo fully fund Universal Full-day Pre-K for the entire state in his 2020-2021 Executive Budget. Currently, New York City receives $300 million under the Statewide Universal Full-day Pre-K program. Districts outside of New York City enroll more than half of the public school students in the state, but they are only allocated $40 million in funding under the same program.

In addition to their public comments to the press, the legislators will be touring the facilities below and will have discussions with administrators and educators on the benefits of pre-K education in terms of preparation and future academic outcomes.

WHEN AND WHERE: 

Thursday, September 5

10:00 am

Montessori School 31

7 Ravenswood Rd.

Yonkers, NY 10710

12:00 noon

WPMS – Eastview Campus

350 Main St

White Plains, NY 10601

2:00 pm

Benim Academy of New City

114 S. Main Street

New City, NY 10956

WHO:

• Assemblyman Tom Abinanti (D-Greenburgh/Mt. Pleasant)
• Assemblyman David Buchwald (D-White Plains)
• Assemblywoman Sandy Galef (D-Ossining)
• Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee (D-Suffern)
• Assemblyman Steve Otis (D-Rye)
• Assemblymember Amy Paulin (D-Scarsdale)
• Assemblyman J. Gary Pretlow (D-Mount Vernon)
• Assemblyman Nader Sayegh (D-Yonkers)
• Assemblyman Kenneth Zebrowski (D-New City)

• Mayor Mike Spano of Yonkers (Yonkers only)
• Dr. Edwin M. Quezada, Superintendent of the Yonkers Public Schools (Yonkers only)

• Dr. Joseph L. Ricca, Superintendent of Schools, White Plains City School District (White Plains only)
• Dr. Ann Vaccaro-Teich, Assistant Superintendent for Business, (White Plains only)
• Dr. Debbie Hand, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction, (White Plains only)
• Ms. Daisy Rodriguez, Eastview Principal, (White Plains only)
• Ms. Jennifer Hammond-King, Coordinator ELA K-6, (White Plains only)
• Ms. Gail Epstein, UPK Liaison, (White Plains only)

• Kathleen Halas, Executive Director of Child Care Council of Westchester, Inc. (White Plains only)

• Dr. Lana Benim – Founder and Director of Benim Scholastic Academy (New City only)
• Vicki Caramante – Executive Director, Child Care Resources of Rockland (New City only)

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