Bill de Blasio is not my candidate, not my first choice for President at any rate. The accomplishment he touts the most is a great one – Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK).
New York City is consolidating pre-kindergarten programs. Adding day care and Head Start to the Department of Education’s portfolio. Five years after the program began, the early childhood division of the Department of Education is gearing up for its biggest instructional contract experience ever.
Almost every program in the City has to respond to an RFP. The contracts for the existing UPK programs have not been renewed. The contracts for Head Start, have not been renewed either. Nor the child care programs. The early childhood division is expecting at least 1,500 responses to RFPs. Some will want to expand programs. Some will not understand their program is in jeopardy.
The Division of Early Childhood Education (DECE) has a staff of mostly young women working on this. Supervised by a young man. Led by a woman in a hijab and another from out of town. Supported by temporary workers. Evaluators who are even more temporary
The evaluators. Retired teachers and supervisors (me included) . 85% women. Professionals. Experienced teachers. Former supervisors. Willing to be coordinated by kids. About 40% African Americans. The Democratic Party’s base. Impressive people. Impressive women taking the work seriously
Maybe a hundred of them. Evaluators. In Training. Worn down a little. Talked at too much.
This army of women, of African American women, They will do the work.