LYNN — The City celebrated $1.6 million in federal funding for the district’s preschool expansion at the school administration building on Bennett Street on Friday.
The addition of eight classrooms, made possible due to converted office space, includes approximately 100 seats. The expansion also includes a cafeteria and outdoor play space for students ages 3-5.
“We continue to appreciate the partnership with our representatives in Washington, who are delivering significant funding for critical projects,” Mayor Jared Nicholson said. “We understand how important it is to continue to expand access to pre-K to meet the needs of the families in the city.”
According to a press release from the Mayor’s office, there are 50 percent more preschool seats in the City than two years ago. There was also a 157-percent increase in full-day seats, as the district converted 254 seats from half-day to full-day .
The funding the City received was part of more than $7.2 in federal earmarks for community-based projects on the North Shore.
“If we want to have a strong America, then we need to invest in every child in this country,” U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren said while speaking at the ribbon cutting ceremony.
Warren also emphasized the importance of the partnership between the federal and local government, adding the Mayor’s commitment to working with the congressional delegation to get the federal dollars was a big reason why they were celebrating.
She said giving kids high-quality learning opportunities is a “win-win for Lynn teachers and families who will have more resources and see better educational outcomes in the long-run.”
“Many of you know that my first work was as a special education teacher with four- to six-year-olds. It feels so good to be back in a classroom — a place of such growth and such promise for the future,” Warren said.
Space at the Bennett Street administrative building became available when nine departments in the district moved from the first floor of the school administration building to upper floors of the city-owned Senior Center on Friend Street, allowing for the construction of the new preschool classrooms on Bennett Street.
“The expansion of pre-K programs is consistent with our vision for 21st century learning and equity in action,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Evonne Alvarez said. “We are increasing learning time and providing services that families really need.”
Getting the Bennett Street space ready for the beginning of the school year required an accelerated construction timeline and collaboration among the district, Inspectional Services Department, City Hall and contractor Dandreo Brothers, according to Jacqueline Gallo, the district’s Director of Early Learning.
In addition to the new preschool classrooms at Bennett Street, there will be three new classrooms on the bottom floor of Cobbet Elementary School, in space formerly used by the Inspectional Services Department.
