Transcript: Mayor de Blasio, First Lady Chirlane McCray and Administration Leaders Fan Out Across Five Boroughs in Final Push to Sign Up Kids for Pre-K

August 29, 2015

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Well, I want to thank everyone. Chirlane and I are honored to be with you today. Team Pre-K, you have done an amazing, amazing job all over the city. 

[Applause]

[Cheers]

And I want to tell you – and I know you’ve heard it from me before, but I’m going to say it again – you are changing lives. You are changing lives of young people. You are changing lives of families. You’re making a huge difference. 

Now, today, the mission – the mission is there, strangely, are still some kids we haven’t reached even though you’ve been all over this city. Every block, every street fair, everything you can find you’ve been to, but there’s still some kids we have to reach.

This team has done an absolutely outstanding job. 53,000-plus kids last year, you’ve seen how many folks have registered so far this year, but we have not reached everyone. And our job is to reach every family – every family who has a child pre-k age – to let them know what this will mean for them.

Now, I want to say a little more, but first I want to take a moment to say we wouldn’t be where we are on pre-k if it weren’t for our deputy mayor who led the way, Richard Buery – give him a round of applause.

[Applause]

He’s got a winning attitude – that’s why he’s wearing a Mets cap.

[Laughter]

So, we’ve got to remember – and Chirlane and I always talk about this – we saw what this did for our children. Chiara and Dante were really uplifted by pre-k. They had full-day pre-k, both of them. Full-day pre-k – it made them ready for school. It made them excited to learn. It framed everything else they did later in their lives. Now, I will not guarantee this result for every child, but I will give you an example. Yesterday, we went to bring Dante – all of his belongings – as he moved into his dorm at Yale University.

[Cheers]

Unknown: Dante!

Mayor: So that’s one good example of a kid who went through New York City public schools, full-day pre-k, and it worked out really well.

First Lady Chirlane McCray: Hey, two kids in college. Not that bad.

Mayor: Two kids in college [inaudible].

[Laughter]

Mayor: Do you want to share?

First Lady: Yeah! Two kids in college – and they made us better parents. Having them in pre-k was good for the community. So, I want you to get out there and let’s get every single child into – who should be there – in pre-k because it’s good for all of us. It really is. It’s good for all of us. It really will help them with their future.

Mayor: That’s right. That’s right. 

And listen, that is right – I want to emphasize – we have all talked to parents – because I’ve been out there with you a lot of times – we’ve all talked to parents who still don’t know the basics. They don’t know it’s free. I emphasize – Richard, are you with me on this? Free, free, free! Emphasize it is free. Emphasize it is easy to sign up. And Richard and his team have done an extraordinary job making the application process much easier this year – one application for any site in the city. We have customer service representatives, enrollment specialists, who literally will help each family figure out what they need. So, it’s a whole new ball game here. It’s so much easier this year. 

Also, some parents will say, should my child be in a school setting so many hours if they’re only four years old? Perfectly legitimate concern – I think what we have to explain to parents is the world’s changed since when we were growing up. 

Unknown: That’s right.

Mayor: Kids need education on a higher level if they’re going to succeed economically.

So, it’s very understandable – a parent might say, you know, I want to keep my child home or maybe just fewer hours. They have that choice – that right. But it’s so important to explain to them what the difference would be if they get full-day pre-k. High-quality full-day pre-k will set up their child effectively for everything after. That foundation will help everything after work. Remember, it’s like building a house. You first build a strong foundation. 

So you’ve got to let people know how important it will be, and it will change the future of their child and their family. That’s the mission. Are you ready for the mission?

[Cheers]

I can’t hear you!

[Cheers]

Let’s go to those barber shops and those beauty salons and change the city for the better.

[Applause]

[Cheers]