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Dozens of Pre-K Seats Coming to Queens Library Branches

 The Queens Library is planning to launch universal pre-k classes at its Ravenswood and Woodhaven locations.
The Queens Library is planning to launch universal pre-k classes at its Ravenswood and Woodhaven locations.
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Queens Library

ASTORIA — The Queens Library is planning to launch universal pre-K classes at two locations over the next two school years, offering dozens of seats to prospective students, officials said this week.

The classes, the first in the country to be managed by a library system, are being planned for branches in Woodhaven and Astoria and come amid Mayor Bill de Blasio's push to expand the city's universal pre-K options, which are free for families and funded by the Department of Education.

"No time in a child's life is as important to academic success as the early learning years, and there is no better place to create good readers than at the library," Queens Library President Thomas Galante said in a statement.

The library received approval from the DOE last month for the program, which will be taught by licensed early childhood educators hired by the library.

The classes, which will be full day and have 18 students each, will be offered at the Queens Library's Ravenswood location, at 35-32 21st St. in Astoria, and at its branch in Woodhaven at 85-41 Forest Parkway.

These spots were picked based on a demand for pre-K programs in the area and because they had suitable space for classes, according to a library spokeswoman.

The Woodhaven branch will have one class, which is expected to start in the coming school year. Interested parents can fill out a pre-registration application at the library.

The Ravenswood site — which for the last several years has been run as a literacy center instead of a library — will be getting two pre-k classes, which are expected to launch either mid-way through the upcoming school year or during the 2015-16 year.

Applications are not being accepted yet for that location.