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Report: NY Must Invest More To Expand Pre-K Education

wikipedia.org

A new report is slamming the state of New York for the slow pace of expansion in pre-kindergarten programs.

The analysis released Monday by the left-leaning Alliance for Quality Education found last year's investment in full-day schooling for four-year-olds in 14 districts resulted in only 476 new slots for kids. At that rate, it will take the state 163 years to offer enough slots for all four-year-old students.

The report concludes that more money is needed to follow through on the state promises to provide universal pre-K throughout the state. Currently it is only offered for all four-year-olds in New York City.

Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo has proposed $15 million in funding in the next fiscal year that begins April 1, but the report concludes far more is needed.

© Copyright 2018 The Associated Press.

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.