Cites Ripple Effect
CLC Leader: Stop Day-Care Closings

By MICHELLE FRIEDMAN

A key leader of the city labor movement April 16 threw his weight behind a union effort to halt further closings of city-funded day-care centers by the Bloomberg administration.

The Chief-Leader/Pat Arnow RAISING LABOR'S VOICE: Ed Ott puts the force of the umbrella group for city unions behind keeping day-care centers open as the AFL-CIO New York City Central Labor Council executive director warns Mayor Bloomberg of the drastic impact further cuts would have on working-class families.

Edward Ott, executive director of the AFL-CIO New York City Central Labor Council, voiced his support for DC 1707 workers whose jobs may be jeopardized under the new ACS policy, asserting that without these centers parents will have no safe place for their children during the day.

'Lets Workers Go to Jobs'

"These workers do work that allows people to access their jobs," he said. "This is the infrastructure that allows the working class to survive, and we can't afford to let working parents in the city down. It took decades to build this educational infrastructure. It took decades to build; it would be wrong to take it all away now."

He urged the city to continue fully funding centers, emphasizing the negative downward cycle that would occur if they lose their funding. "By closing these centers, more people are going to lose their jobs," he warned.

"This infrastructure needs to be nurtured and supported, not destroyed," Mr. Ott continued. "It is terrible that you have to fight for your job so that they can keep theirs."

The Mayor has closed 17 day-care centers since taking office in 2001, more than the last five Mayors combined, and DC 1707 said he could earmark 150 more to close if the new Administration for Children's Services funding initiative is allowed. DC 1707 is urging the Bloomberg administration to rule out down-sizing any day-care centers and focus instead on improving the ACS enrollment system. It also opposes Mr. Bloomberg's plan to partially fund day-care centers that do not have at least 85 percent enrollment.

The Chief-Leader/Pat Arnow AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD THEM: As District Council 1707 Executive Director Raglan George addresses union rally in City Hall Park April 16, some younger participants offer testimony as to how the city's day-care services affect their families.

Cuts Will Bleed Them

"We need 100-percent funding in our centers," said Moira Dolan, District Council 37's assistant director of research and negotiations. "We need 100 percent of the teachers, 100 percent of the children to take care of! When you go into a restaurant and you don't finish all of the food on your plate, do you pay 85 percent of the bill? When a room isn't being used in your house, do you pay 85 percent of your rent? In September our funding will be at 85 percent," which she said will leave the centers unable to cover their rent and payrolls.

On Jan. 4 ACS notified 135 of its centers that they were less than 85 percent enrolled and that if they did not meet full enrollment by April 1 ACS would cut their budgets and their slots. The move is part of Project Full Enrollment, which ACS said in an April 10 statement was "intended to strengthen the entire child-care system in NYC." "Children's Services promises to make this change in a measured way that allows the time, resources and training to help them make informed decisions."

When asked for a reaction to the April 16 rally, ACS spokeswoman Sheila Stainback responded that she "had nothing additional to say."

'ACS Strategy Flawed'

Larry Brovelt, the director of Brooklyn's Staggs Street Center for Children, called for a different approach to child-care management. "They are looking at children as if they are inventory," he said. "Children are not cans of food on a shelf. We need flexible funding to keep these centers open. We all want full enrollment, but there are serious flaws in the enrollment process. The ACS strategies are unsuccessful so far, so how can you base your enrollment process on a flawed strategy? The answer is not to threaten centers."

If the city withdraws full funding, it will be up to the centers to fill the gap by finding parents who qualify for vouchers or can afford the full cost of care, which averages $13,214 a year.

Raglan George, executive director of DC 1707, stressed that "the way to fix the economic crisis is not on the back of children," citing economic instability as a major reason why the city wants to close day-care centers. "Mostly minority communities are being hit with this. Do they think we won't notice?"

Barry Liebowitz, president of the Doctors Council, told the crowd, "Children are our greatest asset and day-care is their pathway to a job, a family and an education. This is not a luxury; this is a necessity. How this became the target is beyond anyone's imagination."

Urges ACS to Talk

"The city needs a meaningful dialogue about what to do," Mr. George said. "The children can't speak for themselves. Some parents can't speak for themselves."

DC 1707 asked the ACS to work with it to develop a plan to fund the city's day-care centers. Mr. George questioned why the agency did not include any DC 1707 representatives on the child-care task force. "They want to bring us a rubber stamp after the fact, but that is not what they should do," he said. "They should involve us early on. If we have difficulties we will discuss them, but we need to be part of the conversation."

The union urged workers and parents to contact the Bloomberg administration and speak out against Project Full Enrollment. "The burden of full enrollment is on the city," concluded Mr. George.