Comptroller Urges City to Delay Effort until Issues are Resolved

View ACS Letter

New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. today expressed deep concerns about a “poorly administered effort” by the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) to move 5-year-olds out of day care center and into public schools.

In a letter to Mayor Michael Bloomberg – available at www.comptroller.nyc.gov – Thompson stressed the pressing need for the City to clarify how this change will affect children and parents before moving forward with this effort.

“Despite the broad involvement of a number of levels of government, it appears that the coordination failed to result in the involvement of the very families that they were meant to serve,” Thompson said. “Regrettably, the current process seems most notable for its lack of transparency and the absence of community input.”

Thompson stressed that his office has received a substantial number of inquiries from anxious parents who have not been adequately informed about this change and the significant impact it will have on their children and their families.

“The number of inquiries we received from parents is not surprising; indeed, your administration’s Preliminary Mayor’s Management Report for FY 2009 reflects that the top five inquiries directed to 311 regarding ACS concern child care,” Thompson wrote. “What is surprising, however, is that the City does not appear to have responded to these concerns and has failed to take appropriate measures to include parents in a dialogue or to even inform them of the impact of these changes.”

Thompson also highlighted that the City’s effort involves the coordination of several agencies that fall under the purview of two different Deputy Mayors – ACS, the Department of Education (DOE), and the Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD). As such, it can be difficult for parents, advocates, and other concerned parties to obtain all the necessary information.

In the letter, Thompson addressed several key issues that must be adequately addressed before this plan can move forward. First, current proposals to pull approximately 3,500 five-year-olds out of day care centers will create vacancies that, if not filled, could cause centers to close their doors – and squander valuable resources for expanding Pre-K.

“Numerous public schools in our City are already operating at, or near, capacity,” Thompson said. “The addition of even one kindergarten class could push a school that is currently straining just below capacity into an overcrowded school. There has been no disclosure regarding the City’s plan to address this issue.”

Thompson also remarked that children being moved to the public schools from day care centers are, for the most part, entitled to full-day day care while their parents are at work.  Although ACS has indicated that DYCD will provide after-school services, no detail has been provided regarding how children who are entitled to full-day child care will be prioritized after the typical kindergarten school day ends at 2:30 PM.

Thompson concluded the letter by urging the City to reexamine this effort and delay it until these concerns have been examined and resolved.

“Making smart choices and cost effective changes in the City’s child care programs is both important and sensible, particularly as our City confronts difficult economic conditions,” he said. “However, significant programmatic changes must not be made without appropriate analysis and at the expense of parental and community involvement.”

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