Contributing Writers: Azad Ali, Tangerine Clarke,
Nelson King, Vinette K. Pryce, Bert Wilkinson
GENERAL INFORMATION (718) 260-2500
Caribbean L 10 ife, April 9-15, 2021
By Meisha Porter,
New York City Schools
Chancellor
As educators, our job is
to prepare our students for
a successful, productive life,
empowered with the skills
they need to chase their
dreams — and early childhood
programs are where it
all begins. That’s why Mayor
de Blasio and I are so excited
to announce the expansion
of 3-K for All to every
school district by September,
providing 40,000 threeyear
olds with free, full-day,
high-quality, early childhood
education citywide.
These programs are
a child’s first step to success
throughout the rest of
their education and beyond,
and I encourage families to
explore the 3-K and Pre-K
for All options available
in their communities and
apply. Applications for the
2021–22 school year are
open!
As parents and guardians,
you know just how
quickly our youngest children
learn — from birth to
age five is a critical period
of growth and 90 percent of
brain development happens
during this time. Our 3-K
and Pre-K for All classrooms
are full of joy and discovery,
and they offer the perfect
environment for children to
learn to problem-solve, ask
questions, and explore the
world around them as they
grow. In addition, our programs
are free or low cost,
saving families an average
of $10,000 a year on childcare
costs.
I remember when the
South Bronx’s District 7 was
one of the first few districts
to offer 3-K for All in 2018
and what it meant for so
many families in need to
have access to free, full-day,
high-quality early childhood
education for their
children.
I want every family to
have that kind of support,
and we’ve made so much
progress expanding early
childhood education in
every borough over the last
three years. Today, all NYC
school districts offer pre-K
programs, and there is a
free, full-day pre-K seat for
every four-year-old child
citywide. That means any
New York City family with a
child born in 2017 can apply
to pre-K for the upcoming
school year by the new April
19 deadline.
In addition, we are excited
to now offer 3-K programs
in every school district citywide.
All New York City
families with children born
in 2018 can apply to 3-K
for the upcoming school
year by the May 28 deadline.
There is a 3-K seat for every
three-year-old in school districts
4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 16, 19,
23, 27, 31, and 32; and we
will offer 3-K seats to as
many families as possible
in the new districts. Families
across the city can still
apply to programs in any
district, and your child has
priority to attend 3-K for
All programs in your home
district. You can find out
your school district by calling
311 or visiting schools.
nyc.gov/Find-a-School. Programs
in the new districts
will be added to the application
throughout April and
May.
In all school districts,
in addition to the free 3-K
and Pre-K programs in
their communities, families
who qualify based on their
income and needs also have
the opportunity to apply to
free or low-cost extended
school day and year programs,
including Head
Start.
Families can apply to
3-K or Pre-K for All for the
2021–22 school year online
at MySchools.nyc or over the
phone at 718-935-2009. The
online application is available
in ten languages (English,
Spanish, Chinese, Russian,
Arabic, Korean, Haitian
Creole, Bengali, Urdu,
and French), and families
can submit an application
over the phone in over 200
languages. Visit nyc.gov/3k
and nyc.gov/prek for more
information.
If you are seeking care
for your child right now, we
encourage you to reach out
so we can connect you with
a program in your community.
Families seeking an
open 3-K or pre-K seat for
this current school year can
call 718-935-2009 or email
ES_Enrollment@schools.
nyc.gov to learn more.
Children who attend 3-K
and Pre-K for All programs
get a strong start in school
and life, and as incoming
Schools Chancellor these
are the kinds of opportunities
I want to build on and
create for our students so
they can dare to dream and
learn. No matter the circumstances,
we are here to
provide children across New
York City with a safe, nurturing
learning community
each and every day.
By Caribbean Life
For all the talk about “supporting
local journalism,” it
appears New York state government
isn’t all that interested in
doing so.
It’s no secret that the journalism
business — the only industry
protected by the Constitution,
as John F. Kennedy once
said — is under siege by a barrage
of financial complications
that predate the pandemic itself.
At this point,
no company
can afford
addit ional
burdens that
stand in the
way of producing
quality,
essential
journalism
to keep the
public informed.
Yet the state legislature seems
hellbent on throwing another
yoke onto the neck of our oxen
with the Extended Producer Liability
Act.
The legislation has an aim
that doesn’t sound so bad on
paper: making product producers
responsible for recycling their
products after use. But if passed,
it will have the unintended consequence
of driving another nail
into the local journalism coffin.
The bill mandates that any
company that produces “product
packaging, plastic wrappers
and bottles and paper products”
— such as brochures, flyers, catalogs,
booklets, telephone directories
and, you guessed it, newspapers
and magazines — bears
the financial burden of paying
to have unused or undistributed
materials to be recycled.
For full disclosure: Our company,
Schneps Media, has more
than 70 different newspapers
and magazines circulated across
New York City daily, weekly and
monthly. You can imagine the
kind of devastating impact this
act would have should the legislature
pass it, and should Governor
Andrew Cuomo sign it into
law. It is utterly ridiculous that
newspaper companies are not
exempt from this law. To say
nothing about the vital services
we provide,
the journalism
industry
already takes
great pains
to be ecofriendly.
A s
Michelle Rea,
New York
Press Association
president, recently pointed
out, newsprint accounts for less
than 7% of all solid waste in a
community. The printing industry
has committed to using more
recycled newsprint in its products,
and the materials themselves
— including non-toxic ink
— are biodegradable.
Newspapers should be exempt
from the Extended Producer Liability
Act. The legislation further
endangers an already stressed
industry that needs more relief,
not more restrictions, to deliver
the news and essential information
you need every day.
Long Island state Senator Todd
Kaminsky is the main sponsor of
the bill. Reach out to his office
by calling 518-455-3401 and let
him know that this bill is bad for
New York journalism.
And please call your local state
Assembly member or state Senator
and tell them to give your
local newspaper a break!
OP-EDS
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Life is protected by Federal copyright law. Each issue of Caribbean Life is registered with the Library
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brief portions for purposes of review or commentary consistent with the law.
Prepare your young learner
with 3-K and Pre-K for All
Another yoke on our neck
Stack of newspapers. Artisteer
Young students having fun at school. Getty Images/Ariel
Skelley
/prek
/3k
/Find-a-School
/nyc.gov
link
