Anton's Back to School 8/16/23 edition is published by Anton Media Group

A Step In The Right Direction For Free School Lunch

BY JENNIFER CORR jcorr@antonnews.com

On July 26 at Clear Stream Avenue School, an elementary school of Valley Stream District 30, a message was made clear by state and school officials, community food advocates and other members of the community: student hunger needs to be eradicated in New York.

“Despite the abundance of resources on our planet, more than 34 million people in the United States are experiencing food insecurity,” said Dr. Roxanne Garcia-France, the superintendent of Valley Stream District 30. “Unfortunately, this is a risk that some American families have become accustomed to living in. In Valley Stream District 30, approximately half of the students receive free and reduced meals. This pressing reality of food insecurity has necessitated the board of education, our administrators, our teachers and staff, students and families and our local community, which are here today, to step up our advocacy efforts for policy changes at both the local and state levels.”

The press conference, held with Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas, Assemblymember Michaelle Solages, New

York State United Teachers (NYSUT), Island Harvest, community food advocates, PTAs, and other local residents, encouraged school districts to opt into the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). The CEP guarantees that all meals are provided free of charge, regardless

of a student’s family income level. Aug. 31 is the deadline to opt into the program. González-Rojas, with the support of Senator Michelle Hinchey and the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Caucus, chaired by Solages, sponsored a bill calling for

universal school breakfast and lunch, which would require that all public school districts, charter schools and non-public schools in the state serve breakfast and lunch at no cost to the students.

“We were able to galvanize tons of support,” González-Rojas said. “It was a bipartisan bill. This was a very unifying bill and we were able to get the language into the budget and dedicate [approximately] $134.5 million towards this program. It’s not full universal. That’s our goal.”

During the pandemic, Solages explained, universal breakfast and lunch were provided to students.

“Many parents said that was a big help,” Solages said. “This bill, this budget item, is really attacking the affordability crisis, especially here on Long Island where it’s so expensive to live and every little bit helps. Even if a parent is deemed middle class, the middle class is shrinking. This is really uplifting children and providing them not only with the tools needed for educational learning, but also helping families survive in New York.”

Gregory May, the government relations

see SCHOOL LUNCH on page 5B

Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas and Assemblymember Michaelle C. Solages, joined by school officials and advocates, called on districts to enroll in the Community Eligibility Provision, which would provide students with free school lunch.

(Photo by Jennifer Corr)

Dorm Room Prep

BY RISA WALTOS specialsections@antonmediagroup.com

Going off to college is an exciting time and preparing for dorm life can be overwhelming. The key to making an easier transition is to be organized. From creating a shopping checklist to building the perfect bed and everything in between, here are some essentials for getting the dorm room ready.

Getting Started

Create a checklist (most schools provide a suggested supply list) and as items arrive, assemble them in a designated college bound area so you can access and assess inventory easily. Whether you are heading off to school by car or plane, one of the first items to purchase is a soft duffel, which makes packing a breeze.

To complement dorm furniture provided, adding extra storage and items that are multi-functional is important. Students/parents should look for items that are durable, easy to assemble and cost effective. After product research, testing and experience with my own college student, here are expert recommended and student approved essentials.

Store More Under The Bed

Under the bed storage pieces are one of my top picks. These pieces can house everything from clothing to extra bedding and towels. Depending on how high you raise the bed, you can stack them.

Smart Packing Tip

These can be packed beforehand and put right into place upon arrival.

I’m a big fan of products that do double duty such as a three-drawer cart on wheels. It’s the perfect height to double as a nightstand, creates additional storage and even comes with a charging station.

Make It Cozy But With A Vibe

What’s your dorm personality? Try creating a mood board to visualize your dorm vibe. Build your bed with soft fabrics in your favorite colors and remember to add lots of accent pillows and a cozy throw for those chillier nights.

If you’re unsure of how everything will look, try dressing up a spare bed at home to better visualize. An ottoman storage cube is another versatile piece to add as it can be the stool to get up to a raised bed, an extra seat plus even more storage. I also recommend personalizing your dorm decor. Add colorful art, a poster of your favorite sports team or memory-wall filled with pictures of your family and besties.

Study Time

Having a neat and well thought out workspace will keep you more focused during long study hours. Consider purchasing an over the desk bookshelf

Photos supplied by Jane’s Addiction Organization. (should your school not provide) and organizers for your supplies to be placed inside drawers and on desktop are an organizational must.

Here’s to a wonderful school year.

Need last-minute help with the process? Jane’s Addiction Organization offers clients a concierge approach to guarantee a stress-free move-in and can assist with getting your student organized including packing the car. Call Jane’s Addiction Organization at 917-592-0054 for more details or to schedule a consultation.

—Risa Waltos is the lead organizer and team college expert at Jane’s Addiction Organization, based in Port Washington.

elcome Back to School at Winston Prep Long Island!

Winston Prep’s highly individualized model is different from the traditional learning programs for students with learning differences.

Our expert staff will help your child to be understood and to become a successful independent learner.

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A charging cart by DORMIFY

Organizers and bookshelves

Duffle storage solution

Room decor with character and style

liaison for Island Harvest, can speak to the increase of food insecurity since the pandemic. Island Harvest distributed more than 16 million pounds of food last year, slightly less than the food distributed during the pandemic, but more than the food distributed before the pandemic.

“The new normal, unfortunately, is more need for food on Long Island,” May said. “These kinds of investments [universal school lunch] is what we need to ease the strain on our food banks and to feed our kids.”

According to Healthy School Meals For All, a policy proposal endorsed by a diverse coalition of organizations and associations, free school meals save families an estimated $140 per child in grocery spending each month.

Saving on a grocery bill is important, especially as prices continue to rise.

Currently, students can receive free or discounted lunch if their household income meets a certain criteria. However, the goal of universal lunch is to remove the stigma of feeling singled out on the lunch line, as well as provide lunch to all students, including those who may come from immigrant families who are hesitant to fill out the paper work, attend wealthy districts as part of the working class or who may even come from a home that is neglectful.

According to the New York State Department of Temporary and Disability Assistance, a family of four must make, approximately, under $55,500 to qualify

for free or reduced lunch. According to an ALICE 2023 report released by United Way of New York State, however, the average household survival budget for a family of four in Nassau and Suffolk counties is $78,300.

“It does not account for all the financial realities faced such as debt, medical bills, expensive housing costs in urban and suburban districts, language barriers and discomfort when sharing personal details,” Garcia-France said of the current free and reduced lunch program. “These challenges in the paid school meal system impede students access to food and it impacts the school’s budget.”

Healthy School Meals For All states that access to these meals advance child health, educational and racial equality.

“Across all income levels kids receive their healthiest meals at school; children receiving school lunches consume more milk, fruit, vegetables, and fiber than their peers,” the Healthy School Meals For All website stated. “Healthy school meals for all supports learning, boosts test scores, and improves attendance and classroom behavior. Establishing statewide free meals can reduce longstanding and widening racial disparities in nutrition, health, education

and achievement.”

James Daye, a NYSUT political action committee coordinator for Senate District 8 and fourth grade teacher, said he knows all too well the impact nutrition has on educating a student. He believes eliminating the stigma that comes with receiving free or reduced lunch will be the most effective way to make sure each student is well nourished.

“As a kid in the ’70s, I was one of those kids that had a card for free or reduced lunch, because my father, who was a construction worker, was out of work for four years, with six kids,” said Bob Vecchio, the executive director of the Nassau-Suffolk School Board Association.

“School meals were a big deal in our household, but I’ll tell you what, if I forgot that card, if I lost that card, you were embarrassed to say ‘hey I’m on the program.’ The stigma is real. It’s been real forever. Take the stigma away and give free meals to every student, regardless of zip code, regardless of income, regardless of household. It does make a difference. It makes learning better. I believe it’s part of a sound basic education, which is the constitutional right of every child in New York State.”

Vecchio added that when he was president of the William Floyd Union Free School

District Board of Education, 65 percent of students received free or reduced meals.

“That number should have been 70, because we had a hard time getting applications filled out by those that were eligible,” Vecchio said. “We are a CEP program out of William Floyd and it made a world of difference. Participation, the number of meals delivered within our schools, has gone up dramatically. It gives us greater options for the meal offerings as well because you’re driving cost down with higher volume.”

Before the district became a CEP school, Vecchio said, Fridays were the worst days.

“Kids were getting anxious,” Vecchio said. “Because they knew they weren’t going to eat over the weekend. Maybe they wouldn’t have heat in their homes. They came in Monday hungry. Some kids would have two or three breakfasts. My wife is a teacher’s aide in a kindergarten class. My grocery bill goes up exponentially because she’s bringing extra food in the classroom for those kids. That shouldn’t be. Not in this state. Not in this country.”

While the current call is for eligible districts to enroll in the CEP program, the fight does not stop there to make sure all students are well fed when attending school.

“We start our new session in January, the budget is due April 1,” González-Rojas said. “Pretty much right away in January we’ll be starting discussions around budget priorities...and we certainly will make this continue to be one of the budget priorities.”

kids

(Getty Images)

Control Or Be Controlled

Tips for planning and navigating your college admissions prep work

BY CHRISTY HINKO chinko@antonmediagroup.com

Preparing for the college admissions process is a pivotal journey that demands careful planning and dedication. Students should start early by exploring potential colleges, assessing their academic strengths and aligning their interests with suitable majors.

We spoke with Dr. Robert A. Browne, owner of RAB College Admissions Consulting in Port Washington, who shared some of his top advice for planning a higher education journey.

“One of the things I focus on particularly are the clubs that a student chooses to participate in and which one could set them apart in college admissions,” Browne said. “Pick out the things you might be interested in so you can start the school year off with a game plan.”

Browne, a dentist by trade for more than 30 years, has has a long tie to the college admissions process through his work with the alumni interview process for University of Pennsylvania, on the admissions committee for Northwell Health’s general practice dental residency and with the office of admissions at Virginia Commonwealth University. He also holds a college admissions counseling certificate from the University of California Riverside.

“For high school students, when they have free time, I think it’s a great idea for them to journal and read memoirs,” Browne said. “It helps them understand themselves a little bit better and will help in the writing process when they eventually do their personal statement for college applications.”

He added, “I think it’s great when students realize that they not only have to be good students but they have to be really engaged students when they are thinking about letters of recommendation.”

He said it is advisable to focus on the core subjects (math, English, social studies, world language) when considering soliciting recommendations letters.

“Think about which teacher you would like to have a recommendation from,” Browne said. “Start to build that relationship, not just being a good student, but an engaged classmate.”

Extracurriculars

“Be as involved as possible in extracurricular activities and give it your all,” Browne said. “Even if someone is not an official leader they can certainly be in charge and lead.”

When it comes to extracurriculars and clubs, not all are created equally.

“Back when we were kids, if you took a hard schedule and you did well on an SAT test, maybe joined a few clubs, you could

feel very confident that you would get into one of the more selective schools in the country,” Browne shared. “Now, it’s a little more involved. The key now is the idea of being intentional and flexible. Going in with a game plan, similar to a business person, a physician, an athlete, having a game plan is the key. Being flexible in case your interests change or the results are not

to help them along the way.”

When parents take control, it adds to the pressure.

“Kids will do well in life; their future is based on them, not the name of the school on the diploma,” Browne said. “Support them. Give them guidance. Encourage them. It’s their process. You can encourage them and lead them, but ultimately it’s their decision.”

Do not control the situation.

Clubs: All Are Not Equal

“From the college standpoint, the most important clubs and organizations are the ones that are directed toward your academic and career interests,” Browne said. “Then, after that comes the community and diversity involvement. Knowing who they are helps pinpoint some of the more beneficial community and diversity opportunities (religion, ethnicity, culture, socio-economic, health-related, gender identity, etc.).”

He said that it is important for a student to figure out what their “community” is; learn as much about the group that they identify with and then put the things they have learned into practice.

“The third group of things to be involved in are more the things you do for fun, the things you do to be with your friends or the things you do to clear your head a little bit, like sports, arts, regular volunteer activities at school,” Browne said. “If you are a recruited athlete or a theatre/music major, those activities would move up to the most important things to be involved in because these things are your career interests, but for people who are not being recruited into a career, the activities and clubs are in the third level of importance for college admissions.”

Prioritizing extracurricular activities, volunteering and leadership roles can enhance their profiles.

Browne has been a direct counselor for three years, especially working with students going through their dental residency.

“I am a parent; I see the stress that these kids are under,” Browne said. “As schools become more highly selective, I want to help parents and students take away the stress and help them control the process. If you don’t control the process, it will control you. When that happens it increases stress and can increase the chances of a lot of money unnecessarily being spent on education.”

Be Supportive

“My advice to parents during this time is to be supportive,” Browne said. “It is the student’s journey ultimately and our job is

Browne in an associate member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association. Visit www.rabcollegeconsulting.com to learn more and to book a free consultation.

(Getty Images)

(Getty Images)

what you were hoping for, just make sure you can pivot; giving yourself the freedom to make that change is certainly critical to understand.”

Harry Chapin Food Bank Sponsors Kids’ Food Insecurity Program

Sixty-five thousand Long Island children experience food insecurity. Therefore, one of Long Island Cares’ primary responsibilities is to ensure that they receive a basic human right: nutritious food.

To combat childhood hunger, the Harry Chapin Regional Food Bank of Long Island Cares, Inc. sponsors children-focused programs at Long Island schools; before-and aftercare programs; daycare centers; and private homes.

Among them is Aspara-Gus’ Mobile Breakfast Food Truck, which provides nutritious grab-and-go breakfasts to children in need when school is not in session. The program—supported by allied partners and providers—serves children primarily on weekends.

The organization’s Kids Cafe program provides meals and snacks to kids attending after-school programs. Pack It Up for Kids provides emergency weekend bags containing nutritious meals and snacks. Backpacks are distributed bi-weekly to 25 school districts that have identified children who need food to take home for the weekend.

The Summer Food Service Program operates for eight weeks during the summer, where the food bank works with allied programs and provides on-site

meals (breakfast and lunch) to needy children. Lastly, the Mobile School Pantry supports monthly food distributions in the Brentwood and Riverhead Central School

Districts. Distributions are open to families with children.

In 2022, these programs provided 248,419 meals. There is a correlation between learning and poor nutrition, and without proper nourishment, children have a harder time focusing and learning. It is imperative they have the support they need for the best future possible. And so, as children return to school with new duds, new school supplies, and eager to learn and make new friends, please consider the families with children who need a bit more help.

Long Island Cares is committed to serving communities and ensuring that the futures of Long Island’s children are as fulfilling as possible. Visit licares.org for more information.

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