By Rich Bockmann
The number of city schools and community-based organizations proposing to host pre-kindergarten sites in Queens next school year has more than doubled after Mayor Bill de Blasio requested submissions to help fulfill his goal of providing 21,000 new seats next year, the administration announced earlier this week.
A total of 291 schools and community organizations — up from 130 last year — submitted proposals to provide pre-K sites next year in Queens, the mayor’s office disclosed Tuesday as the city said it received more than enough submissions to meet the goal for its pre-K rollout.
“Make no mistake: We can change the lives of tens of thousands of children. We can do it in a matter of months,” de Blasio said. “Hundreds of school principals and community leaders — the people who already do this work — have come forward with detailed plans to provide pre-K to more children in their neighborhoods.”
The administration said about 930 schools and community-based organizations citywide submitted plans to create more than 29,000 new seats next year, 8,000 more than the target set by the city for September.
Under de Blasio’s pre-K plan, the city wants to provide 53,604 full-day seats in the fall, increasing the number to 73,250 by the 2015 school year.
The majority of pre-K seats already being offered are provided by community groups, which have proposed 214 sites in Queens for fall, up from 113 submissions last year. The borough’s public schools have submitted plans for 77 sites, more than four times the 17 sites proposed for the current school year.
De Blasio and city Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña touted the results from his administration’s request for proposals as proof that the city has the logistical capability to roll out the pre-K initiative.
“We already know demand from families for high-quality, full-day pre-K is exceptionally high, and these numbers confirm that we are ready to deliver,” Fariña said. “With high-quality providers and schools across all five boroughs eager to deliver for our 4-year-olds, we know that our plan can be implemented on Day 1.”
One of the questions that remains is whether or not the programs can hire the staff in time. De Blasio said the city will evaluate each program to make sure they meet high-quality standards.
The other big question remaining is how pre-K will be funded.
De Blasio is still at loggerheads with Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who prefers the state pick up the pre-K bill instead of the mayor’s proposal to raise taxes on the city’s high-earners to fund early education.
“We can make that a reality, but we need the power to raise our own revenue from our own people to make it happen,” the mayor said.
Reach reporter Rich Bockmann by e-mail at rbockmann@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4574.
