If you live in Queens, universal prekindergarten classes could be coming to a library near you.
Two Queens Library branches in Woodhaven and Astoria will soon start offering free pre-K programs, which officials believe will be the first of its kind in the country.
“The library has a history of providing lifelong learning,” said Nick Buron, vice president of Public Library Service, who advocated for the new program. “We wanted to latch onto this challenge.”
It is one of the last libraries built with money from steel magnate and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.The recently renovated Woodhaven branch will kick off the program when it launches in September. One class of 18 children will run from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
“It’s a beautiful library,” Buron said. “We are going to clear some of the land outside and create a play space completely separate from the library.”
Two classes will operate out of the Ravenswood branch in Astoria, although officials have not yet picked a start date.
The two were selected due to the neighborhood’s high demand for pre-K seats, Buron said. Sections of the two buildings can also be easily converted into classroom space.
“I love that they are trailblazing,” said Leni Calas, an Astoria mother of two who founded The Mamas Network and the website Queensmamas.com . “They are offering a service in two communities that really need it.”
The library also caters to the borough’s diverse population with literacy classes for all ages, resources for immigrants and job training programs.
Free programs, such a toddler time, often attract hundreds of parents and kids to the library facilities.
Buron said taking on universal pre-k seemed like a natural fit.
The de Blasio administration is in the midst of a large expansion of the city’s public universal pre-K program for 4-year-olds.
Library officials are working with the city Department of Education on placements in the first class, while they hire certified teachers and undergo inspections.
Parents can pick up pre-K applications at the two branches.
