Assembly Speaker Heastie and Assemblymembers Zebrowski and Skoufis Welcome First North Rockland Full Day K Classes on the First Day of School

After full day k incentive aid was passed in this year’s state budget, the members marked the occasion by greeting one of the first district-wide full day kindergarten classes on the first day of school

Today, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie visited Rockland to welcome West Haverstraw Elementary students with Assemblymembers Ken Zebrowski, James Skoufis, and North Rockland Superintendent, Ileana Eckert on their first day of school. After victoriously passing full day K incentive aid in this year’s enacted state budget, the members marked the significant occasion by welcoming one of the first district-wide full day kindergarten classes. After greeting students as they walked into their first day of school, the Speaker received a tour and visited a full day kindergarten classroom.

For years, Assemblymembers Zebrowski and Skoufis had fought to achieve statewide universal full day kindergarten. Up until this school year, North Rockland was one of a handful of districts in New York State that only had a half day program. This past legislative session, the Assemblymembers were successful in advocating for full day kindergarten incentive aid to be included as a part of the 2018-19 enacted state budget. The funding mechanism is modeled after legislation that Zebrowski and Skoufis introduced and passed through both the Assembly for several years, and recently the Senate. The proposal provided districts that have half day programs with enhanced aid to assist in transitioning to full day programs (A.1625). The final budget includes increased funding, over three years, to achieve universal full day kindergarten statewide. With this incentive aid, North Rockland was able to convert to a full day program and this school year is the first time the entire district has full day K.

Speaker Heastie has been instrumental is making this proposal a reality. He has supported Assemblymembers Zebrowski and Skoufis’ efforts since its inception, as well as including it in several Assembly budget resolutions. The Speaker’s efforts demonstrated that full day K is a priority of the Assembly’s and ensured that the proposal was in this year’s final budget.

“Kindergarten has been proven to lay the foundation necessary for later academic success,” said Speaker Heastie. “After working alongside the Assembly majority, especially Assemblymember Zebrowski and Skoufis, on an agenda that prioritized families and education, full day kindergarten is now a reality for our entire state. By expanding full day kindergarten we have taken a step in the right direction, arming our children with the academic tools needed for their intellectual growth. It is truly a gratifying experience to witness firsthand how beneficial these programs are to the families of this district.”

“Today, full day kindergarten is now a reality for North Rockland students. I couldn’t imagine a better ending to this story than seeing the smiling faces of the very people we were fighting for all these years: the students. Today’s momentous occasion is the culmination of advocacy from all stakeholders in the community. I am grateful for all those who stood by us and I’d like to thank the Speaker for his efforts and dedication to early childhood education. I am optimistic that soon every student in NYS is afforded the same opportunity. Today, we celebrate our community’s victory and the full day K students that have their entire futures ahead of them,” said Assemblyman Ken Zebrowski.

"Welcoming these children to their first day of full-day kindergarten made every moment of hard work alongside Assemblyman Zebrowski, Speaker Heastie, and local advocates worth it. I’ve looked forward to the day that every kindergartener in every zip code is afforded the comprehensive education that they deserve. That day is here in North Rockland and I couldn’t be more delighted for this big win in our community,” said Assemblyman James Skoufis.

“Early childhood education is one of the leading ways to enhance the quality of life in a community. We are so pleased to finally offer district-wide full-day kindergarten to all North Rockland families. We know, long term, if we're going to have a major impact, we will need additional resources to fully fund this program. Our thanks and gratitude to Assemblymembers Ken Zebrowski, James Skoufis, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and our full-day kindergarten advocates for always fighting for the students and families of the North Rockland Central School District,” said North Rockland Central School District Superintendent Ileana Eckert.