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May 13th, 2021
NY State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky Endorses Andrew Yang for Mayor, Backs Plan to Establish $1,000 Annual Education Opportunity Fund for 500,000 NYC Students
**RELEASE** May 13th, 2021
New York, NY—Today, New York State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky endorsed Andrew Yang for Mayor of New York City. Standing in front of P.S. 242, the Leonard P. Stavisky Early Childhood School, Yang also announced his plan to create an Education Opportunity Fund. Said State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky, “When I first started talking to Andrew about this race, I found him to be open, willing to listen and ready to work with the community. I asked him about his agenda for New York and he spoke about reinvigorating and rebuilding the economy. As a former teacher, I wholeheartedly support Andrew’s plan to create an Education Opportunity Fund and provide a helping hand to those families most in need. Andrew’s vision for New York is one that brings us both hope and practical solutions for this City. Over these past months, I have watched Andrew spend considerable time listening to the needs of the people throughout this City, and I am supporting him today because I know he will be a collaborative partner in government.”
Said Andrew Yang, “Senator Stavisky’s life, and impact on the lives of New York’s kids, is inspirational – she is the education legislator in New York, and I hope to be the education mayor. As a parent, it pains me deeply that only 47% of NYC public school children can read by second grade, and only 46% are proficient in math. We must do better for our kids and our families, starting with universal high quality education for 0-3 year olds in New York, so that they’re ready to succeed from the start, and establishing an Education Opportunity Fund to get cash in the hands of parents to nurture their kids’ talents in and out of the classroom.”
$1,000 a Year for 500,000 NYC Students Yang also announced his plan to establish an Education Opportunity Fund, which will provide $1,000 a year to each family of a student whose family income puts them at the poverty threshold or has an IEP or who has been designated an English Language Learner. The funds could be used for additional needed educational services or learning opportunities, including private speech therapy sessions, after school programs, music or art lessons. With an estimated total 500,000 students experiencing some combination of poverty, having an IEP, or being an ELL, the total cost of the program would be approximately $500 million, which will be funded by the $4.5 billion NYC schools are expected to receive from the federal government. Universal High Quality Early Childhood Education for 0-3 Year Olds Under the American Families Plan, the Biden Administration proposes fully funding child care for low income families and capping expenses at 7% of income for families up to 1.5x their state’s median income level. Currently, the city only has enough licensed child care to accommodate 24% of infants and toddlers, with many parts of NYC having no center-based capacity at all. As mayor, Yang plans to invest substantially in upskilling existing caregivers and training and licensing new ones, as well as clearing away senseless rules such as the requirement that daycare centers operate in ground level retail to create the room for the federally-backed caregiver economy to flourish. It will allow parents to go back to work and it will nurture children at a pivotal point in their development, forging pathways to success for generations of New Yorkers.
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