Page 14 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, January 19, 2024 ~ Op-Ed ~ One of the biggest and most sweeping plans in Mass. pre-K education and child care history will be a boon to families in Malden, region By Steve Freker I t did not take long for Governor Maura Healey to make it very clear why she was in Malden Wednesday. All one had to do was look around the facility where she made a major announcement – the Mystic Valley YMCA on Dartmouth Street – and see the place teeming with little ones. “The reason why we are all here today?” Governor Healey told the many in attendance Wednesday, from all levels of government and education. “It’s these guys,” she said, gesturing to the large group of four-yearold boys and girls who were blissfully at play and learning at the “Y” this day. In perhaps the most sweeping plan in Massachusetts history to address the need for relief and support of access to early education and child care, LEGAL NOTICE INVITATION TO BID City of Malden Construction of Early Learning Center Playground and MacArthur Park Playground Renovation Notice to Bidders The City of Malden invites the submission of sealed bids for the construction of two playgrounds: 1) a new playground at the Early Learning Center including demolition of an existing playground, installation of new play structures, poured-in-place rubber safety surfacing, timber edging, pavements, fencing, and drainage. The project area is located on the north side of the Malden Early Learning Center located at 257 Mountain Avenue in Malden, MA. 2) The second site is the renovation of the existing playground at MacArthur Park (also known as Green Street Park), including selective demolition, new curbing, installation of new play structures, poured-in-place rubber safety surfacing, and minor fencing and repair work. MacArthur Park Playground is located at the corner of Wadsworth and Madison Streets. BID OPENING will be held on Wednesday, February 7, 2024 at 1:00pm at the Office of Strategic Planning & Community Development (OSPCD), City Hall, 215 Pleasant Street, 3rd Floor, Malden, MA 02148. A Bid Summary will be made available to all Bidders, and other persons properly interested, within twenty-four (24) hours of the Bid Opening. Plans, specifications and all bid documents may be obtained electronically from Shadley Associates beginning Wednesday, January 17, 2024, at 10:00am. Requests for electronic files may be made to Skyler Chick, Shadley Associates at schick@shadleyassociates.com or (781) 652-8809. A non-mandatory pre-bid meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 31, 2024 at 3:00pm at MacArthur Park followed by a meeting at the Malden Early Learning Center, addresses above. All sealed bids must be hardcopy and delivered to the Office of Strategic Planning & Community Development (OSPCD) prior to the BID OPENING, as stated above. Bids shall be delivered to OSPCD at Malden City Hall during these hours: Monday, Wednesday and Thursday between the hours of 8:00am - 5:00pm, and Tuesday between 8am - 7pm. The office is closed on Fridays. The bidder assumes the risk of any delay due to mail or other delivery. Bids received after the official BID OPENING will be returned unopened. The City of Malden reserves the right to waive any informalities in Bids, to reject any or all Bids, or to accept any Bid that in their judgment will be in the best interest of the City. January 19, 2024 Governor Healey and Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll joined with Malden, state and federal elected officials as well as local and state school leaders to unveil the “Gateway to Pre-K” initiative. The initiative will directly provide financial relief to caregivers and support of access to early education and child care to many more families in this city and far beyond, if fully funded in the FY25 Mass. budget. Delivering universal, high-quality preschool access for four year olds in all Gateway Cities by the end of 2026 Every family of a four-yearold child in these 26 communities will have the opportunity – at a low or no cost – to enroll their child in a high-quality preschool program that prepares them for kindergarten. Increasing Child Care Financial Assistance (CCFA) eligibility from 50 percent of the state median income (SMI) to 85 percent SMI will help an additional 4,000 low- and moderate-income families afford care. Continuing Commonwealth Cares for Children (C3) grants in FY25, providing stable funding for programs to improve quality, pay facility costs and hire more staff, thereby will create more classrooms where families can enroll their children in affordable child care. The Commonwealth Preschool Partnership Initiative (CPPI) is currently in 12 Gateway Cities (Brockton, Fall River, Haverhill, Holyoke, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, Malden, New Bedford, Salem, Springfield and Westfield). Through investments in the FY25 budget, the administration is proposing to expand CPPI into the 14 remainLEGAL NOTICE ing Gateway Cities over the next two years. Governor Healey announced her Gateway to Pre-K agenda in Malden, an example of a Gateway City that has benefited from CPPI, providing access to high-quality preschool through multiple partners: Malden Public Schools, Malden Early Education and Learning Program, Cheverus Catholic School, Little Love Bugs Daycare, My Little Best Friends Early Learning Center and Malden YMCA. Through CPPI, Malden has standardized the use of a high-quality preschool curriculum that integrates evidence-based practices in early literacy, as well as coordinates and intentionally aligns policies, assessments and professional development. Although the CPPI program is relatively new, Malden leaders have already noticed the significant impact. “We all in Malden Public Schools love this program because we see it is going to have a big trajectory, big picture for students from prekindergarten to grade 12 to be ready for what every they want to do in life. It also allows our teachers and the community-based teachers to share in best practices and professional development, furtherREVIEW | FROM PAGE 13 performance, including senior forward Jake Simpson of Malden, who has shown versatility by playing both defense and forward effectively. Other notable contributors contributing to the scoreboard include senior forward Lucas Deguire of Mystic Valley, sophomore forward Frankie Annunziata of Revere and sophomore forward Michael Brandano of Mystic Valley. Defensively, the team has been led by senior defenseman Jackie Summers of Malden and freshman defenseman Tommy Cronin of Malden. Freshman goalie Ray Blauvelt of Everett is gaining experience and has showed promise. “He’s had his great games, and he's had his not-so-great games,” Richards said. “But you know, overall he's definitely given us what we expected if not a little bit more.” Ultimately, the team comprises a mix of seniors and younging their impact and sense of community,” said Malden Public Schools Superintendent Ligia Noriega-Murphy. Malden Ward 4 Councillor Ryan O’Malley said, “I would like to thank Governor Healey and her administration for recognizing the early childhood education needs of working families in gateway cities. The economic health of Massachusetts is inextricably tied to the quality of education available in bellwether communities like Malden. This proposal is a needed step towards reimagining education funding in the Commonwealth.” Malden Ward 8 School Committee member Sharyn RoseZeiberg said, “The importance of early education in children’s development has long been recognized. However, too many families have faced roadblocks to gaining access to affordable, high quality early education, preschool and care. I am excited and encouraged by the Governor’s plans to address the needs of our State’s families.” Malden caregivers and many others in the region are grateful for the unprecedented show of support for more and access and relief in Governor Healey’s plan. er players, including freshmen and sophomores, who are making significant contributions. However, the coach is mindful of the challenge they will face next year with the departure of many seniors. The team gets into its final portion of Greater Boston League play in Games 11, 12 and 14. It was set to take on Somerville on the road Jan. 17 and has Medford (Jan. 20, on the road, 4 p.m.) and Lynn (Jan. 27, home, 6 p.m.). It added a makeup game against Taunton Jan. 26. The coach emphasizes the need for the team to be ready and to play with the same intensity and physicality as they have shown in their best games. “I want to see more physical style of play, which is what made us successful in that Nashoba game,” Richards said. “We have a few games with teams that are ranked higher, so these games are really important for us. These guys need to be ready to come to play.”
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