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De Blasio Spends Sunday In Brooklyn, Urges Families To Sign Up For Pre-K

NEW YORK(CBSNewYork) -- Mayor Bill De Blasio continued his push for Pre-k on Sunday when he met with parents and children at the New York Public Library in Brooklyn.

De Blasio Urges Brooklyn Families To Sign Up For Pre-K At New York Public Library

Albany may not be enthusiastic about the tax portion of the plan but the mayor insisted that assembly and senate votes to fund the program were both big victories, 1010 WINS' Sonia Rincon reported.

"We're ready to just follow through, get this funding, and get this thing up and running on an unprecedented scale starting this September," Mayor De Blasio said.

The deadline for parents to sign up has been extended to April 23, WCBS 880's Jim Smith reported.

The mayor will likely get his cherished new programs, but not the tax. State lawmakers are nearing a deal to give the mayor $540 million for the program, CBS 2's Kramer reported.

De Blasio Spends Sunday In Brooklyn, Urges Families To Sign Up For Pre-K

There is just one tiny wrinkle, at least as far as the mayor is concerned. The Republican-controlled Senate on Thursday agreed to give the mayor cash -- the plan put forth by Gov. Andrew Cuomo – but not a tax on the rich.

The mayor, who has demanded that tax for 17 months, is apparently ready to accept the deal, as his office put out a statement trumpeting "a new consensus sweeping Albany."

No budget deal in Albany is ever final until talks wrap up sometime before the end of the month, but the money is only enough for one year of the program.

The mayor reminded families to sign up for the program and said that it was time to work with Governor Cuomo to develop a five-year funding plan.

The mayor will likely have a much easier time getting the authority to tax the rich next year, which is a non-election year, Kramer reported.

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