The city on Friday reached a tentative agreement with five community-based early childhood education centers to keep them open for at least another school year.
The agreement, announced by Mayor Eric Adams and Public Schools Chancellor Aviles-Ramos, will continue lease agreements with four Brooklyn early childhood centers and one in Queens after parents, staff, elected officials and early education advocates rallied to stop their planned closure.
The five centers that will remain open are: Fort Greene Council Young Minds Day Care, Friends of Crown Heights Educational Center, Inc., Grand Street Settlement, Nuestros Ninos Day Care Center, all in Brooklyn, and All My Children Day Care and Nursery School in Queens.
“We have heard the concerns of parents, community partners, and elected officials, which is why we have met with all five programs facing lease expirations and with the respective local elected officials to create a collective plan that will offer them the opportunity to operate for the upcoming school year," Adams said. "For too long, families have faced challenges accessing early education programs due to mismatched seats and gaps in funding caused by building a system that was propped up on temporary stimulus dollars. Our administration is doing the work of developing a sustainable early childhood education system that meets the needs of New York City families, especially working-class parents, who often do not have the resources they need to access these opportunities."
The mayor also noted the city's effort to expand access to early childhood education programs by conducting more outreach, including email and social media blasts and in-person information and enrollment fairs.
“I applaud the New York City Department of Education for coming to the table and working in earnest to save these beloved sites," said Council Member Crystal Hudson. "We must continue to support existing child care centers so our city can live up to its promise to provide high quality early childhood education for all who need it."
Council Member Rita Joseph said fair funding and increased transparency to the city's early childhood system was vital to truly support the city's youngest learners.
“Reaching a tentative agreement to keep these five early childhood education sites open is a critical step forward for our children, families and communities,” Joseph said.
