Report Says Child Care Cuts Hurt Neediest; Carroll Gardens Parents: 'We Want Affordable Care Too'

A new report, released by the Campaign for Children, says that Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s will particularly hit those communities suffering from high rates of childhood obesity, rampant unemployment, low school achievement and high rates of poverty.

But nearby parents are feeling the burden of cuts as well. Cobble Hill falls under a "non-priority" ZIP code. As such, has announced it will be closing its doors as of Friday, June 22.

"People seem to think that if you live in Carroll Gardens you can afford to pay top dollar for day care, food and rent," Robin Casanova told Carroll Gardens Patch. "What the public forgets is that there are still a community of old timers that live here. We're the ones who suffer behind something like this. I have had people say to me 'Well you live in Carroll Gardens, you can afford it.' This is far from the truth."

Meanwhile, representatives of AMICO were hopeful that they will be able to reopen later in the season.

"Our hope is that our sponsoring board will be able to come up with the discretionary funds for us to reopen as soon as possible," said Michelle Rivera, Assistant Bookkeeper at AMICO, which has been in operation for 40 years. "This happened to us last year as well. and then the funds came through in late July."

While Rivera had no way of confirming that history will repeat itself this summer, if discretionary funds are dispersed, "at that point we would call back the staff so they could prepare the classrooms and then call back the parents," she said.

The Out-of-School Time (OST) after-school system was created by Mayor Bloomberg in 2005, serving 85,000 children at its height in 2009. With this year’s proposed budget cuts, the OST system will be reduced by half, says the Campaign for Children. According to the report,191 programs are set to close, and only 25,000 children will have access to programs next year.

“Where there are hard-working parents struggling to make ends meet, and children without any other safe place to go, we simply cannot take away these essential programs,” said Stephanie Gendell of Citizens’ Committee for Children, an advocate from the Campaign for Children, in a statement.

Rivera noted that individuals interested in protesting the cuts can call 311 or call the Union DC 1707. In addition, a press conference and rally against the cuts is planned for Thursday, June 28 at Gracie Mansion.