New pre-k center officially opens

Bright Horizons at Riverdale made it official.

Late last month, the early learning center held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to formally announce its opening to the community with some 30 families attended the event.

Located at The Whitehall’s annex space at 3223 Independence Ave., Bright Horizons opened in June offering educational services to children from infancy through pre-kindergarten prep as well as drop-in daytime care.

Center programming includes math classes, an infant sign-language course, a reading program and a STEM — science, technology and math — lab, Donna Gretkowski, a Bright Horizons vice president, told The Riverdale Press earlier this year.

College access program adds middle schools

The city’s education department will include all middle schools in District 10 as part of its College Access for All program during the 2017-18 academic year, schools chancellor Carmen Fariña announced.

Seventh-graders will have the opportunity to visit a college campus while middle schools themselves partner with community-based organizations to offer workshops and possibly additional college visits.

The initiative is part of Fariña’s and Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Equity and Excellence for All plan.

The education department also expanded the program to include schools in districts in three other districts in the Bronx, as well as other districts in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens for a total of 193 middle schools.