Unions Join Bid To Stop Closing Day-Care Spots

Unions Join Bid To Stop Closing Day-Care Spots


Two city-funded day-care centers and their unions are fighting to stop their planned closings in January.

NEAL TEPEL: City should be accommodating. The Administration for Children's Services cancelled contracts for the Lucille Murray Child Development Center in The Bronx, serving 207 children, which is slated to close Jan. 11. It did the same with the Children's Liberation Day Care Center, housing 88 children on Manhattan's Lower East Side, which is scheduled to shut its doors Jan. 4.

'Treat It Like a School'

The latter center has filed a lawsuit to prevent its closure, and the union that represents workers at both sites is lobbying for a halt in the plans, at least until June so that the children's education is not disrupted mid-year.

"This should be no different than if it was a public school," said Neal Tepel, assistant to DC 1707 Executive Director Raglan George Jr., who represents the day-care providers. "The city should make accommodations if repairs are needed - not throw kids onto the street."

Lucille Murray is one of the larger centers in the city and it is the fourth targeted for closure in the 16th Council District. ACS officials argued Lucille Murray needed to be shut because of past misappropriation of funds and the building's poor physical condition. "To ensure continuity of child care services," agency officials said in a statement, "all ACS contracted care children currently being served by Lucille Murray DCC will be transferred to other ACS contracted programs in the general community, or will be issued vouchers to find private service."

Bunched With Bad Apple

But union officials asserted that the financial problems were perpetrated by former director Claudie Bayardelle, who was fired in 2005. They said that in the past, ACS has transferred oversight of troubled centers to another board, in order to keep them open. "Closing a center this size," said Mr. Tepel, "clearly in a neighborhood of need is really inconsistent with the Mayor's goal to prepare young children for upper grades."

But ACS officials said that the building's poor physical condition also contributed to their decision to terminate the program. They claim repairs would cost $650,000, while the union asserts the cost would be about $150,000. In either case, union officials note that there are no outstanding Department of Health violations and that all steps should be taken to ensure the center can remain open.

There are thousands of children currently on waiting lists for city-funded day-care slots.

The board of Children's Liberation has filed a lawsuit to stop its closure after 26 years at its location on First Avenue. When ACS officials asked the board to relocate to two different centers further downtown, the board refused and triggered the contract resolution process. ACS lawyers asked a judge in October not to issue the injunction against closing the center because the agency had no plans to do so. But two days before the parties were due to reappear, the board received the termination letter.

'Kids Will Be Harmed'

"The children would be harmed by the upheaval and the parents, well, imagine you couldn't go to work tomorrow," said parent and board member Paul Wilson. "It's run like a school with a full curriculum and a philosophy. It's rooted in the community, and it teaches children that they come from a community."

ACS officials argued that the contract was terminated to protect the health and safety of the children, due to needed renovations. "We are working with parents to find alternate child care at the many contracted child care centers and family child care networks with vacant seats in the surrounding community," agency officials said in a statement.

But parents note that the other four tenants at the P.S. 122 building are being allowed to stay and that Children's Liberation is the only day-care center in the roughly square mile between Houston and 14th Sts. and Ave. C and 5th Ave.

Say ACS Played Hardball

Board members said they would have considered temporarily relocating, but that ACS refused to guarantee their ability to return to the space. They suspect that the city wants the entire building used for artistic purposes. It now houses a performance space and rents part of the building to painters. "It's like we've fallen down a rabbit hole," said Mr. Wilson. "Why wouldn't the city value a place like this, for families and working people?"

Children's Liberation board members and lawyers are currently involved in a set of meetings with ACS officials and the City Comptroller to see if they can settle the issue outside of court.

Union officials said they would help employees at both centers find other positions, but there is no formal system in place to secure jobs for the displaced workers. "This is one of the situations when qualified Teachers become frustrated and leave our system," said Mr. Tepel, noting the high turnover rate among day-care Teachers. "They apply to public or private or Catholic schools, and we lose experienced, qualified Teachers."