Brooklyn and Queens families are in a rush to find new childcare after New York City's Department of Education decided not to renew leases for five early childhood centers. The move comes on the heels of Governor Kathy Hochul's announcement of a $110 million fund to build and upgrade childcare facilities, signaling a conflicting approach to early childhood education in the city, according to reports by Gothamist and NY Daily News.
Caught in the crosshairs are over 250 children and 90 employees who will now scramble to find and provide alternative childcare solutions. Grand Street Settlement in Brooklyn, visited by Hochul earlier this month and praised for its service to underprivileged kids by drawing light to their "extraordinary work," has been hit with its pending closure. As told by Gothamist, CEO Robert Cordero emphasized the full enrollment and existing waitlist at his center, contradicting the Education Department's reasoning for non-renewal due to low enrollment.
Details are adding up to a concerning picture for local childcare. Speaking with NY Daily News, Brooklyn Councilmember Jennifer Gutiérrez criticized the abruptness and lack of negotiation leading up to the closures. She branded them a "betrayal" and decried the city's failure to lead effectively. Compounding the issue is Mayor Eric Adams' preliminary budget plan, which omits $112 million previously set aside for 3-K programs, potentially slashing thousands of early childhood education seats by summer.
The centers affected include Nuestros Niños, a staple in South Williamsburg for half a century, Friends of Crown Heights, Fort Green Council, and All My Children Daycare and Nursery School in South Jamaica, Queens. While informed by the NYC Schools spokesperson, Chyann Tull, they will support impacted families with alternative arrangements; these closures are contributing to an emerging pattern of program cuts, as reported by Gothamist.
With New York's mayoral primary on the horizon, Democrats have marked childcare as a pivotal issue, pointing to it as a contributing factor in the city's affordability crisis. Gothamist relayed alarming instances last summer where approximately 2,500 parents were notified of the absence of space in free 3-K programs their children had been assigned to, throwing another spotlight on the mayor's commitment to early childhood education. The decisions to not renew leases for centers like Grand Street Settlement, despite their apparent success, raises questions about the alignment between the city's education policies and its officials' public assurances.
