Speaker Carl Heastie, along with Assemblymember Tommy John Schiavoni, visited the future site of the Long Island Head Start (LIHS) Riverside Head Start Center in Riverhead. They announced a $2.25 million investment to construct a new modular facility aimed at restoring services for families.
“Head Start and early childhood education is so vital to children’s development, and programs like LIHS are a vital part of our communities,” Speaker Heastie stated. “This new location for the Riverside Head Start Center will allow them to restore services for families here in the Riverhead Central School District and prepare kids for school and for bright futures. Thank you to Assemblymember Schiavoni for bringing us here today.”
Assemblymember Schiavoni emphasized the importance of a permanent home for the center: “The Riverside Head Start Center needs a permanent home so it can continue to give children here in the Flanders-Riverside area a safe place to learn and grow. I’d like to thank Speaker Heastie for coming today to visit the planned site of Riverside Head Start Center’s forever home. The old building was structurally unsound and no place for children, but here they can start over and resume critical services for our families.”
Ms. Debrah Everett-Garcia, chief executive officer of Long Island Head Start, expressed gratitude: “We are immensely grateful to Speaker Heastie and Assemblyman Schiavoni for this monumental contribution. Their leadership and support will help restore access to high-quality early childhood education and essential family services for our most vulnerable populations.”
The funding will facilitate the construction of a modular facility on the Riverside property, following severe structural issues that led to its closure before the 2024-25 school year. This affected 88 children, including 55 in universal pre-k programs. A temporary site only accommodated 28 children, leaving 60 without services.
