"We thank the administration for delving in the subject to quickly clarify and adjust the regulations, so Yeshivos shall know if the program suits them, so they can apply before the deadline," said Rabbi David Niederman.An outline of the new guidelines were first unveiled at a meeting of the Committee of NYC Religious and Independent School Officials with Councilman Deutsch and Mr. Fink. Rabbi Niederman, a member on the committee, thanked Mr. Fink, Rabbi Chaim David Zweibel, Excutive VP of Agudath Israel of America, and all who assisted in reaching the solution.
Among the accommodations under the new guidelines are: an allowance to operate programs on Sundays to compensate for Fridays, when Yeshivos dismiss classes earlier to prepare for Sabbath; and the ability to start the programs before the beginning of the school year, to substitute for religious holidays when the Yeshivos are closed.
In a letter to Yeshiva leaders, Councilman Levin wrote:
"I want to commend Mayor de Blasio on the release of these new Universal Pre-Kindergarten guidelines and will continue to work with the Administration to make sure the UPK program is a success for all of our students. I also want to thank Rabbi David Niederman for co-hosting our meeting, and Council Member Chaim Deutsch, Avi Fink from the Mayor’s office, and the UPK operations manager, Chris McKay, for attending and for their hard work on making the UPK program accessible to all students."Rabbi Niederman said:
"The UPK talks, and the administration's willingness to address our issues urgently and quickly, is - thanks go-d - a good start. It shows the Mayor's dedication to the community and his understanding of our unique issues, and how strong he will work to accommodate our needs."(Item on p. 20, starting on the bottom-left)
Tens of Yeshiva Representatives Attend Meeting Arranged by UJO and Councilman Steve Levin
Attended by: Special Guest Councilman Chaim Deutsch; Close Aide to the Mayor, Mr. Avi Fink; Mr. McKay of the Department of Education; Rabbi Niderman Reports on Talks with the Mayor and Hi-Ranking Officials
Meeting provided very important information for Mosdos and discussed important issues regarding the Mayor's grandiose Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program
The article - accompanied with photos - reports on a meeting that took place in Williamsburg on Monday, the 5th of May, in the conference room of Pesach Tikva, between Yeshivos and the aforementioned officials to directly discuss the issues. Among the Mosdos attending were representative of: Satmar (UTA), Pupa, Central UTA (Satmar), Viznitz, Tzelim, Viznitz-Tzemach Tzadik, Krasna, Klausenburg, Vien, Nitra, Square, Tashbar, Kasho, Beikvei Hatzon, Shopron and TeacNYS.
Councilman Deutsch reported on the meeting that he held - together with Councilman Levin - with Department of Educations officials and Mr. Fink to discuss the concerns of Yeshivos.
“It is crucial that our communities have access to Mayor de Blasio’s universal pre-kindergarten program and today’s meeting was an important opportunity to provide information about this new program with the yeshiva leaders throughout Williamsburg," Councilman Levin said. "I want to thank Council Member Chaim Deutsch, Avi Fink from the Mayor’s Office, the universal pre-kindergarten operations manager Chris McKay, and leaders from our local yeshivas for an informative discussion on how we can best provide access to universal pre-kindergarten for all the children of Williamsburg.”Added Rabbi Niederman:
"Thanks to the tireless efforts of Mayor Bill de Blasio, New York City is now implementing this game-changing program for all of our children." He thanked Councilmen Steve Levin and Chaim Deutsch, Mr. Avi Fink and Mr. McKay. "I want to thank each of them for attending today’s meeting and providing our community critical information.”(Shaded box on p. 20)
Councilman Levin Delves in to Bring Additional Child Care Assistance
The article reports on the additional funds that the Mayor allocated to Child Care in his Executive Budget release last week. Councilman Levin already discussed with the ACS Commissioner the Child Care issue, and will continue to call for the restoration of Priority 5 Child Care Vouchers cuts implemented during the last years of the Bloomberg administration.
Councilman Levin serves as Chair of the General Welfare Committee that has oversight on these programs, and next week he will preside over a hearing on these programs. "You got my word, I will not step stop from pressing and fighting for it," the Councilman told the Yeshiva leaders at the meeting.
The article points out that Council member Deutsch and Levin chair two committees that are very important to the community and its families. Councilman Deutsch's Committee was formed especially on his request, to be able to assist the non-Public School communities, Achieving the UPK accommodations prove how successful they are to advocate for the community, and much more is hopefully to come.
The photos on p. 43 are from are from Williamsburg Yeshiva meeting.
UJO Column, May 16, 2014
