The City’s Out-of-School-Time Plan is creating enormous problems for working parents putting 5,000 young children at risk without child care services. Only 700 of 5,700 school-age children will have a year-round OST center to go to if ACS school-age classrooms are eliminated.

For most school-age youngsters attending ACS programs, DYCD Out-of-School-Time programs will not be an option.

Of the 133 ACS centers providing educational and support services to school age youngsters in mainly minority neighborhoods, very few DYCD programs are in their immediate area and DYCD programs do not provide supervised safe transportation of school-age children.

For working parents, the only center that counts is one at their child’s school or a program that picks up children from that school. For youngsters not served by DYCD, closing ACS classrooms will cut them off from any access to good year-round center care.

For years, ACS school-age child care has been successfully serving close to 10,000 young children in high quality centers. They offer an environment that is safe, comfortable and nurturing as well as continuity of care for families that have both pre-school and school-age children.

Children are safely escorted from school to the ACS day care center. Three hours of care on school days as well as and full day care with hot meals on all school holidays and during winter and spring breaks and summer vacation is provided. Programs are staffed with qualified educators many having years of experience.

Unless we keep the ACS centers open, 5,000 young children will end up without needed educational and support services.