Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson was on hand Thursday, May 12, to help kick off a new bike program at Beth El Synagogue Center’s Nursery School. The Nursery School recently purchased new bikes and helmets for their 3- and 4-year old classes. The little bikes without pedals, called “Strider Bikes,” are developmentally appropriate bicycles for nursery school aged children. The children learn to balance and glide without the added step of pedaling. Since the program started, some of the children have already had asked their parents to take off the training wheels at home.

The event began with Nursery School Director Ronnie Becher asking the children to comment on their perceptions of the Mayor and his role in New Rochelle. Four-year old Spencer Katz noted that the Mayor’s job was “to run the city” and Ben Feinblum added that Mayor Bramson was “a little bit famous.” The biggest laugh came when four-year old Daniel Patchen told Bramson that he “looked gorgeous.” The Mayor thanked the children for their kind remarks and spoke to the 50 children and parents about the importance of exercise and using bicycles to travel around the city. More bicycles on city roads mean fewer cars, less pollution and lower energy usage, the Mayor noted.

The children then took off for the bikes and showed the Mayor and their parents how they had mastered balancing and gliding around the cordoned-off parking lot. The Nursery School’s bike program is the first in the county to use the Strider bikes. Parents raved about their children’s progress and the sense of self-esteem riding a two-wheeler brings. “Andrew (age 4) came home after riding the bikes for three days and asked that we take his training wheels off,” said proud parent Eve Goldstein. Director Ronnie Becher added, “This new initiative has further enhanced our reputation as a nursery school with state-of-the-art equipment that encourages children’s independence and thoughtfulness about the world around them in an age-appropriate setting.”