Larkin awards ‘Kidscount' grants to area schools

Corwall-on-Hudson — Sstate Sen. William J. Larkin Jr., R-C-Cornwall-on-Hudson, has awarded public elementary schools in the 39th Senate district with a special grant through his “KidsCount” program. Every public school with students in grades kindergarten through six will receive $4,000 to use for this purpose. This means 62 elementary schools in Orange and Ulster Counties will receive a total of $248,000. “KidsCount” is the only program of its kind in the state. Created by Larkin several years ago, the program is specifically tailored to meet the immediate needs of students in the classroom or in the school library. It gives teachers and librarians direct access to funding for the purchase of extra items such as books, magazines, computer software and hardware, and other classroom supplies that have direct instructional value. “It’s a fact that elementary school teachers are constantly using money out of their own pockets to purchase materials, supplies, and those extra little things for their students and their classrooms,” said Larkin. “They work with children every day, and know best what the children in their classrooms need. I wanted to give the teachers and school librarians access to supplemental funding. It gives me immense satisfaction to know that many children will be enjoying more books and other additional classroom supplies, making their school experience that much more special.”