City Council Speaker Christine Quinn is continuing her push to make sure all 5-year-olds go to kindergarten. The state Senate Education Committee has signed off on a bill which would give New York City the right to make kindergarten mandatory and Quinn is sponsoring a petition drive to urge the State Legislature to take action before the summer break.

All 5-year-olds are guaranteed a seat in kindergarten but they are not required to enter school until 1st grade.

Here's what Quinn suggests parents can do to help make kindergarten compulsory in New York City:

• "Sign our "Kindergarten is a Right" petition and urge your friends, family and neighbors to do the same!  You can find the petition online here.
• Post our petition to your Facebook page and Twitter account.
• Visit your local day care centers and UPK programs during pick-up and drop-off hours and hand out hard copies of the petition and encourage parents to sign it.  A paper version can be downloaded for printing here.
• If you have children in school, contact your school's parent association and encourage them to get involved in our campaign.
• Contact your local community board and Community Education Council (CEC) and ask them to pass a resolution in support of mandatory kindergarten.  To find your local community board and CEC click here and here."