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Monday, February 08, 2016

PS 58 Finds Pre-K Annex Large Enough To House Two Classes For 2016/2017 School Year

PS 58 at Smith Street between Carroll and First Streets.
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Union Street between Columbia and Hicks Streets
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New Pre-K annex for PS58 at 131-133 Union Street
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You may remember that back in October 2015,  Public School 58, a.k.a. The Carroll School, announced that it was "unlikely that PS 58 will be able to retain its three Pre-Kindergarten classrooms in the building for the 2016-2017 school year."
Principal Katie Dello Stritto told parents that the problem was overcrowding and that the pre-K program would either have to be eliminated or be moved out of the school building on Carroll Street.

To address the problem,  the school has been looking for an annex here in the neighborhood to house the Pre-K classes.  It appears that the search has been at least partially successful.  The Department of Education has been able to secure space for two of the existing three classes in a former bank building on Union Street between Columbia  and Hicks Streets.

Here is a recent announcement that was posted on PS58's web site:
"We have an exciting update to share regarding Pre-K for PS 58 next year. We are going to have a Pre-K annex site at 131 Union Street for the 2016-2017 school year. At this time we have been told that the space can house two classes. We are trying to find creative solutions for the third class now. We are in the very beginning stages of planning with our wonderful Pre-K team, the Superintendent’s Office, the Office of Early Childhood Education and the School Construction Authority. There are many moving parts and many logistics that we will need to work out. We will keep the community updated as we have more information.

As in previous years, we expect that most of our Pre-K seats will be filled with children who will have an older sibling attending PS 58 in September."

Though two Pre-K classes in an annex several blocks away from the main PS58 building are better than none, it does all seem very ironic given the fact that one of New York Mayor DeBlasio's mandates when he was elected was to create more Pre-Kindergarden spots in the city.

As the announcement makes clear, unless you already have an older child attending the school,  your little one will not get a Pre-K spot at PS58.
For those few lucky enough to secure a space, it will be quite a juggling act to drop off and pick up children in two separate locations.
Let us know your thoughts.



5 comments:

  1. That location looks to me like the old bank building back in the 1950s. If I remember correctly, it was the First National City Bank, the precursor to the present Citibank. I remember going there as a child with my mother to do the family's banking,

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  2. Ariana MartuscelloFebruary 08, 2016 12:01 PM

    I walked by that yesterday with my husband and 4 year-old, and mentioned, due to its width and ceiling height, that it would be perfect as a bouncy house emporium like Bounce U. I am glad it will be put to proper use; it's been vacant for many years.

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  3. Great news! this space has been used by a stream of no-name business tenants for years. This is a great block in a really nice neighborhood - Columbia Waterfront. Many years ago I was involved in the move of the Cobble Hill Coop Preschool to a storefront on this block. The school moved again many years ago to a bigger location on Hicks street, but this was a great block for a preschool. There are already several small preschool programs in the area.

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  4. It's great news! There was no way the pre-K was staying in the current PS58 building, so those parents would have likely been dealing with 2 drop offs and pick ups at 2 different schools anyway. The administration is working on the logistics for the families.

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  5. overcrowding is due to this schools need to cater to french program students and community!! it is a complete joke how it has taken priority over mainstream education at PS 58

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