Speaker Heastie Continues Annual Statewide Tour in Cortland and Tompkins Counties
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Pictured in the first photo at Suggett Park with Speaker Heastie is (from left to right): Assemblymember Barbara Lifton and Cortland Mayor Brian Tobin. -
Pictured in the second photo with Speaker Heastie at the Arthur Kuckes Childcare Center at Tompkins Cortland Community College is (from left to right): Assemblymember Barbara Lifton, Arthur Kuckes Childcare Center Executive Director Casey Goodwin and Tompkins Cortland Community College President Dr. Orinthia Montague. -
Pictured in the third photo with Speaker Heastie at Cornell University is: Assemblymembers Barbara Lifton and Deborah Glick, and members of the Cornell Arthur O. Eve Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) and the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP). -
Pictured in the fourth photo with Speaker Heastie at Ithaca Commons is (from left to right): Ithaca Common Council Member Seph Murtagh and Assemblymember Barbara Lifton.
Speaker Carl Heastie today continued his annual statewide tour in Cortland and Tompkins Counties. He joined Assemblymember Barbara Lifton in visiting Suggett Park in Cortland, a daycare center at Tompkins Cortland Community College and Cornell University.
“The Assembly Majority is committed to ensuring that every student and child, regardless of their background has a shot at a quality education and a bright future,” Speaker Heastie said. “Today, my annual state tour took me to organizations in Tompkins and Cortland Counties that are making that vision a reality – from providing parents who are going back to school with quality affordable childcare to giving college students the opportunity and resources they need to succeed to ensuring that kids have a playground where they can play and grow no matter their physical abilities.”
“I am so proud of the work we are doing in Cortland and Tompkins Counties to invest in education and make it accessible to everyone,” Assemblymember Lifton said. “We will continue to work so places like the Arthur Kuckes Childcare Center and the Cornell Educational Opportunity Program can provide our children and students with a quality, affordable education.”
Speaker Heastie and Assemblymember Lifton first met with Cortland Mayor Brian Tobin at Suggett Park. Recently, Assemblymember Lifton helped secure state funding to build a new, inclusive playground in the park, which makes it accessible for children with and without disabilities.
The second stop was touring the Arthur Kuckes Childcare Center at Tompkins Cortland Community College with President Dr. Orinthia Montague and Executive Director Casey Goodwin. The daycare center, which opened last month, is intended to give both students and their children the best possible education and future by giving students first priority with a sliding fee scale to help them with the cost. Assemblymember Lifton and the Assembly Majority helped secure grants for construction of the daycare center.
Next, Speaker Heastie and Assemblymember Lifton were joined by Higher Education Committee Chair Deborah Glick at Cornell University where they met with students in the Arthur O. Eve Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) and the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP). These programs give students the opportunity to attend Cornell with the tools and resources they need to achieve academic success.
The final stop was lunch at the Mahogany Grill and a tour of downtown Ithaca.