As a founding member of the Port Washington Child Care Partnership (established in 1989) who has been encouraging the school district to take some responsibility for the care and education of children beyond the 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. school day, I applaud the vote of the school board to accept the recommendation of the After School Task Force to hire the Sid Jacob son JCC to direct the new After School Enrichment Program.

This program, which will serve children whether or not their parent(s) are employed, will ensure the continuation of elementary school clubs and the enrichment programs at Weber, while adding a full child care component available to children until 6 p.m., one to five days a week.

As the Resource & Referral Coordinator and Child Care Council of Nassau, an agency that works to increase the accessibility, availability, and affordability of quality child care to all working parents in Nassau County, a longtime advocate for child care and a resident of Port Washington for over 25 years, I am thrilled that the working parents of Port Washington have this new after school child care option in addition to KidsPort and the four Family Child Care Providers currently serving this age group.

Arlene Labenson