PATCHOGUE, NY – OCTOBER 4, 2006 – St. Joseph’s College is proud to announce that it is scheduled to receive a $104,000 state grant to expand its pre-kindergarten program through collaboration with the Patchogue-Medford Union Free School District for fifty-four eligible district children age 4 years old by December 1, 2006. Additional collaborations resulting in supplementary funding is expected in the future.

The New York State Legislature approved $50 million to expand its Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program, giving New York school districts the opportunity to apply for the funds. Collaboration between the district and the college resulted in the preparation of an approved proposal that resulted in the granting of funds in the amount of $104,000 to begin a Universal Pre-kindergarten Program in the Patchogue-Medford School District.

“The curriculum for the pre-kindergarten program will follow the New York State Learning Standards and will foster the development of the children’s auditory comprehension and expressive vocabulary through developmentally appropriate practices and play,” says Dr. Mary Fritz, supervisor of the new program and assistant professor of Child Study at St. Joseph’s College. A retired principal and a former pre-kindergarten director, Dr. Fritz has also served as chairperson of the Long Island Pre-Kindergarten Directors Association and was a member of the New York State Advisory Board for Pre-Kindergarten during her years working in administration.

During the first week of September 2006, three half-day classes were opened at the Tremont Avenue Elementary School in Medford. Three teachers and a teaching assistant for the classes are all currently enrolled in the Masters in Literacy Program at St. Joseph’s College. Beginning in the spring of 2007, undergraduates who are enrolled in education courses will be assigned to observe and participate in the pre-kindergarten classes.

For more information, please call (631) 447-3200 or visit www.sjcny.edu. St. Joseph’s College is located at 155 W. Roe Blvd. in Patchogue, and is accessible via the South Service Road of Sunrise Highway, just east of Exit 52 (Waverly Ave.).

About St. Joseph's College

St. Joseph’s College has been dedicated to providing a diverse population of students in the New York metropolitan area with an affordable education rooted in the liberal arts tradition since 1916. Independent and coeducational, the College provides a strong academic and value-oriented education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, aiming to prepare each student for a life characterized by integrity, intellectual and spiritual values, social responsibility, and service. With campuses located in the Clinton Hill area of Brooklyn and in Patchogue, Long Island, the College offers degrees in numerous majors, special course offerings and certificates, affiliated and pre-professional programs through its School of Arts and Sciences and its School of Professional and Graduate Studies.