Tomorrow, Wednesday, March 18 at 7 pm, Mayor Fried, along with 1st Ward councilman Rich Murnick, will visit the Montclair Community Pre-K to discuss the township budget and the subsidy received by the MCPK from the Council for financial aid for families.

Back in December 2010, Scott Novak, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Montclair Early Childhood Corporation, appealed to the Township to preserve the Pre-K by continuing funding. In January, Director of the Pre-K, Eve Robinson, ensured the town that the school “would be here.”

The Pre-K is encouraging all MCPK families to attend the meeting with the Mayor to let him know how important the Pre-K is to the community.

One parent shares why the school has been so valuable to her:

My daughter has attended Montclair Community Pre-K for two years. The experience I’ve had has been life changing. My life would not be the same without Montclair Community Pre-K. The education, the services and the love shown has contributed to my success as a working mother and the amazing development of my daughter as a successful lil’ lady. To be able to credit these wonderful strides to the Pre-K  says so much about the value of the Pre-K in this community. The role they play is irreplaceable and many lives would be changed if they were not able to provide the services they always have.

The town of Montclair is a unique and amazing experience as a resident. That same essence of genuine appreciation for the human experience that the town of Montclair has is embodied in the Pre-K. I love exposing my daughter to the wonders of life and the wonders of the world. This makes our days much more purposeful and our experiences that much richer. On the weekends I will read stories or take her to exhibits and many ideas I value I began to introduce to find that she is already aware. She knows facts about animals, plants, countries, time, feelings etc that will be the foundation for her primary education. She is being given the first block of knowledge that will build to form her success later in life. When I am made aware of how much she has learned…the only word is joy. I’m being reaffirmed that my most precious gift and my lil sweetie is being filled with love and care the same quality that I would give. The curriculum is parallel with my vision for my daughter.  So much of her development I credit to the Pre-K so we are in essence sharing in the growth of my daughter.

When my daughter began going to the Pre-K , I was working in Manhattan. The extended care program was affordable and allowed me to work a full work day with the peace of mind that my daughter was not only being loved while away from me but receiving a top notch preschool education. I eventually began school full time majoring in architecture. Over these 2 years I have transitioned from a full time job to a full time undergraduate student accepted to NYIT School of Architecture. I always had access to the before care and after care at an affordable cost. Without the before and after care being there the times I needed it there is NO WAY I would have been able to stay in school. NO WAY! My goal is to travel to underdeveloped countries and assist in establishing affordable, sustainable and safe housing solutions. I am excited to say that this summer I will be traveling to Mongolia to assist with the construction of an orphanage. I am motivated by the people I do not yet know who will benefit from my work as an architect. As each year the Staff at the Pre-K is motivated by families and children they do not yet know. They anticipate the need and are there. The human experience is a powerful one and amazing things can be achieved when we engage in it.

7 replies on “Mayor Fried to Meet With the Montclair Community Pre-K”

  1. Everything we pay for is valuable to someone. But taxes are an issue too. Something’s gotta give!

  2. Here we go! The money the town got from the state is specifically supposed to go to relive the tax payer, in other words, you can’t give it away and then raise property taxes.

  4. Without the before and after care being there the times I needed it there is NO WAY I would have been able to stay in school. NO WAY! My goal is to travel to underdeveloped countries and assist in establishing affordable, sustainable and safe housing solutions. I am excited to say that this summer I will be traveling to Mongolia to assist with the construction of an orphanage.

    Oh, I relent! Go ahead, fund the damn school already. Fund it to the max. The fate of the orphans of Mongolia hangs in the balance.

  5. Thanks walleroo, I didn’t want to be the one to state the obvious. But since you’ve started, I’ll add: is the kid going with her?

    Also, why this Pre-School? There are others around. And for the cost, the Town might be better just offering scholarships to folks who need money- a voucher system… To go to one of the others.

    And while I’m sure there are good arguments for funding it (this is NOT a good example of one because it is too selfish sounding- please save it, because it helped me to go Mongolia?), we cannot afford it.

    So how about this: RAISE THE MONEY PRIVATELY.

    We have to cut. Everything cannot be precious.

  6. It was also my understanding the Pre-K may be eligible for grant funding, but has not applied because they were accepting funding for the town. If this is true, this seems extremely shortsighted and rather insensitive to the taxpayers. Can anyone confirm whether this is true or whether or not they do in fact apply for any grants?

  7. Oh please, hrobrah lend us a hand with this one. This lady’s too much.

    Is there anything more sustainable than a yurt?

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