Bronx day care centers - and the working parents who need them - face an uncertain future under a city plan to cut classrooms and funding in September.
The city’s Administration for Children’s Services said last week that four Bronx day cares will lose classroom openings and all 5-year-olds in ACS day care must move to regular school kindergartens starting in September.
Day care directors and municipal union representatives say they fear the changes will mean layoffs and possible closings.
Cheryl Dewitt, 45, executive director at Williamsbridge NAACP Early Childhood Education, said unionized salaries depend on the number of day care classrooms, and that the cuts could also affect part-time aides and cooking staff.
The shift to kindergartens is in response to a $62 million ACS deficit, which will affect thousands of children in the Bronx alone, many from underprivileged, working class families.
Under the new plan, ACS day care slots will be available only to those who can’t be enrolled in kindergartens. The number of classrooms will be cut based on enrollment.
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