Center Closes:
Brooklyn Day-Care Workers Out of Job

By MEREDITH KOLODNER
March 2, 2007

Workers at Irving Place Daycare cried and hugged one another on their last day of work Feb. 23 after the city pulled its funding from the Brooklyn child-care center.

Weeks of protests by parents and local elected officials did not move officials at the Administration for Children's Services, who claimed that the center was under-utilized. Irving Place staffers said that by enrolling more young children, they had met the center's target capacity, and that re-locating children in the middle of the school year was not in their best interests.

'Tough to Find Work Now'

"I think it's a disgrace," said Carlyne Bost, who worked as a Teacher's Assistant at the center for three years. "I'm mostly concerned about the children, but it also has a ripple effect on everyone. It's almost impossible to get a job in the middle of the school year."

The center's director, Beverly Johnson, said she was going to try to keep it open as a private day-care facility. She said she would not be able to keep most of the 19 staff members without city funding.

"We're going to try to open up some new programs in the building," Ms. Johnson said, "but we're a nonprofit now, and we can't afford union salaries and benefits."

ACS said the center was wasting resources and funding needed elsewhere.

"There is a great need for child care for parents in the city," said Sheila Stainback, an ACS spokeswoman. "Our goal is to have all positions filled with eligible children."

Community leaders say they believe there is ample need for child care in the neighborhood to support the center.

'No Reason to Close'

"It's the number-crunchers at ACS," said Councilwoman Letitia James. "I totally disagree with them, because I know the community. The center could have done a better job with outreach, but that's no reason to close them, that's a reason to give them assistance."

ACS has contacted parents about other day-care options in the area and has granted vouchers to about 30 parents who want to stay at the center. But Ms. Johnson said the vouchers for pre-school children are $180 when the actual cost is more than $250. She said the vouchers for toddlers will only cover $255 of the more-than $300 cost.

Irving Place is one of 14 Brooklyn day-care centers that were notified by ACS in January that they needed to increase their enrollment. Community advocates have expressed concern that the other centers will also lose funding and that some may have to close.

'No Plan to Close More'

"The Commissioner has stated that there's no plan to close the other centers that received letters from us," said Ms. Stainback. "The situation with Irving Place was different." She declined to explain how Irving Place differed.

Officials with District Council 1707, which represents the workers, said they would try to help them find placement elsewhere, but that there was no guarantee of finding another job in the system.

"It would be much easier if there was a centralized list so we could let them know about vacancies at other centers," said Neal Tepel, the assistant to DC 1707 Executive Director Raglan George.

Staff members said they thought the disruption would have a negative effect on the kids.

"We have to say goodbye to the children," said Ms. Bost. "They've been here ever since pre-k; we watched them mature. It's a big adjustment in the middle of the school year. If they had kindly waited for the summer, it might not have been as bad."

"This is going to be very difficult," said Janice Cornelius, a Group Teacher. "I don't think they were thinking about the children. Everybody's face is very sad today."