Hundreds of families, labor and pols protest shutdown of four childcare centers in Brooklyn

Over 250 parents, childcare providers, labor leaders and elected officials rallied on Thursday on the steps of City Hall against what they described as “Mayor Adams’ sudden and misinformed decision to force four” of Brooklyn’s “beloved childcare centers to close.”

The Office of Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso said the rally was organized by Reynoso and Council Members Jeniffer Gutiérrez, Sandy Nurse, Crystal Hudson and Chi Ossé. 

Speakers included Public Advocate Jumaane Williams; NYC Comptroller Brad Lander; State Senators Zellnor Myrie and Jabari Brisport; Assembly Member Phara Souffrant Forrest; and Nuestros Niños Executive Director Ingrid Matias Chungata.

Isabel Panno Shepard, director of communications in the Office of Borough President Reynoso, said that, 30 minutes before the rally was expected to begin, an emergency meeting was called regarding the closures where representatives from the Mayor’s Office and the Department of Education (DOE) said “they would set up conversations with the providers next week to discuss potential options, but could not make any commitments beyond setting up a meeting with providers, as well as meeting with the landlords of these sites.”

 Panno Shepard said the original letter asking for this exploration was sent on Jan. 17, with enrollment for 3-K and Pre-K closing on Feb. 28. 

“The forced closures – and the outpouring of community protest against them – have exposed DOE’s glaring mismanagement of the City’s 3-K program, which provides nearly 48,000 students with free early childhood education; yet, Adams declined to fund fully in his latest Preliminary Budget,” she said. 

Panno Shepard said the DOE notified the centers of their closures less than 24 hours before applications for the upcoming school year went live, “creating chaos and uncertainty for countless families and dedicated childcare professionals who rely on the sites for high-quality, community-based childhood education and employment.”

“Many providers and parents across the city fear that if these long-standing institutions are not safe, then the entire system is at risk,” she said. 

Panno Shepard said Mayor Adams and the DOE defended the decision by “citing low enrollment, pointing to vastly incorrect data.”

For example, she said that “the mayor claimed Nuestros Niños in Williamsburg – a 50-year-old institution where Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso attended as a child – had only four students enrolled, despite the center currently serving 96 students, hitting an enrollment rate of 82 percent.”

Panno Shepard said another site facing closure – Grand St. Settlement in Bushwick – is at 100 percent capacity, with 70 children enrolled and a long waitlist. 

“Adding insult to injury, the city owes millions of dollars in late payments to the childcare centers,” she said, disclosing that Nuestros Niños is owed almost $1 million, Grand Street Settlement is owed over $1 million, and Fort Greene Council is owed more than $500,000. 

Panno Shepard said the four centers being forced to close in Brooklyn are: Nuestros Niños (384 South 4th St.), Grand St. Settlement (319 Stanhope St.), Friends of Crown Heights (1435 Prospect Pl.), and Fort Greene Council (972 Fulton St.). 

She said there is also a fifth center in Queens facing closure. 

“Mayor Adams cannot be serious about building a city for families if he moves forward with these childcare closures,” Reynoso said. “These sites are each cornerstone of their communities – providing care for our children, relief for parents and jobs for hardworking providers. 

“As a product of Nuestros Niños myself, I know the amazing work that takes place in these centers every day,” he added. “The noise we’re making is working, and the tone from the administration is changing. 

“We won’t stop coming back to City Hall until these centers are saved,” Reynoso vowed. “Our families can’t wait. Let’s get it done.” 

“Rather than wasting time and resources on closures that should never have been on the table, the focus must be on investing in these model childcare sites, expanding access, and ensuring that families receive the support they deserve,” said Gutiérrez. “The mayor’s commitment to discussions is a clear sign that community resistance is working—but talk is not enough. 

“This is not a real victory until there is an unequivocal commitment to fully reopening these sites and accepting new registrations,” she added. 

“The planned closure of Nuestros Niños, a pillar of the Los Sures community for over 50 years, is deeply troubling,” said Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez. “But this isn’t just about one center. Across the city, potential closures are leaving families without options and educators without jobs.

“Child care is not a luxury; it’s a necessity,” she added. “If we’re serious about breaking the cycle of poverty and making New York a place where families can thrive, we must invest in early childhood education. I urge the mayor to act now, keep his promises, and ensure these centers stay open.”

Brisport said: “”At a moment when we need to rapidly scale up the child care sector, the Adams administration is instead dragging New York deeper into the child care crisis.

“Not only is this disastrous policy, but the way the Adams administration went about this demonstrates supreme disrespect for child care providers and for parents,” he said. “Whether or not you have children, these closures should alarm you; an equitable, stable economy simply cannot exist without a strong child care sector.”