For thousands of working city families, Mayor de Blasio’s promise to provide free, high-quality full-day prekindergarten could be life-changing.
If he delivers, it means mothers could get a job and get off public assistance. Or go to college and get a career. It means their kids will get an extra year of attention from a teacher and gain an extra 2,000 vocabulary words before starting kindergarten, according to research.
For Elsi Chavez, 33, of Bushwick, Brooklyn, a seat in pre-K for her son Patrick, 3, means that she can earn a paycheck and help raise the family standard of living. If he doesn’t get a slot, she’s out of luck.
“If my son doesn’t go, I won’t be able to get to work,” said Chavez, who joined dozens of anxious parents crammed into a town hall meeting on pre-K Wednesday afternoon at the Community United Methodist Church in Jackson Heights.
Based on her local options, which include programs at district schools and community centers, Chavez believes Patrick has about a 50% chance right now of landing a seat in a nearby class.
If Patrick doesn’t get a pre-K slot, she’ll stay home with her son and struggle to make ends meet on the pay her husband earns working in construction.
Her family would suffer financially and, even worse, Patrick would lose out on a solid start to his schooling.
“He won’t be able to socialize with other children,” said the worried mom. “I want my child to have access to education.”
For other parents, de Blasio’s program would mean an end to paying the crippling tab for private preschool.
Jocelyn Ramirez, 32, of Cypress Hills, Brooklyn, wakes up at 6 a.m. each day to take her daughter, Artlyn, 3, to a private daycare center she can’t really afford.
She works 40 hours per week as an administrative assistant, but the $522 a month she spends on early education day-care takes a big chunk out of her earnings.
“I’m pretty much working to send her to daycare,” said Ramirez. “She’s learning a lot but it’s expensive. I’m hoping with the universal pre-K, I wouldn’t have to pay for another school.”
For Ramirez, full-day pre-K is a must. Half-day won’t allow her to keep her job.
“Hopefully by September they do approve it, and once it starts with universal pre-K, it will be universal pre-K for the whole day, throughout the day,” she said.
