Parents, officials push to expand full-day pre-K

Parents joined lawmakers in Brentwood today to push for expanded full-day pre-K. Parents, educators and government officials are voicing concerns that full-day pre-K programs need to be universal,

News 12 Staff

Mar 5, 2016, 3:50 AM

Updated 3,109 days ago

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Parents joined lawmakers in Brentwood today to push for expanded full-day pre-K.
Parents, educators and government officials are voicing concerns that full-day pre-K programs need to be universal, and not just in New York City.
The Alliance for Quality Education says full-day pre-K is not available to about 75 percent of the students living in Long Island's poorest districts.
The problem with expanding pre-K is coming up with the necessary funding. Opponents have bristled at the $125 million needed to institute full-day pre-K programs across Long Island. 
Assemblyman Phil Ramos argues that you can't put a price tag on a child's future.



"It's cheaper to create and produce a productive adult than to fix a broken one," says Ramos.
Parents will have to wait until May to see whether their school district receives the appropriate funding for a universal full day pre-K program.