South Brooklyn After-School Care Cut Sparks ‘Panic,’ Officials Say

BROOKLYN, NY — Southern Brooklyn politicians are sounding the alarm about a state agency that they say has pulled funding from several after-school childcare programs without providing information on alternatives, leaving parents scrambling.

In a joint statement, State Senators Andrew Gounardes, Iwen Chu, Jessica Scarcella-Spanton and Simcha Felder and City Councilmembers Justin Brannan and Alexa Avilés say they have received a "deluge of panicked calls from parents and school administrators fearing the worst," adding that without state support, many families could lose access to free after-school childcare.

According to the Brooklyn representatives, New York State’s Office of Children & Family Services recently canceled a program that funded several after-school care sites in the area and replaced it with another similar program.

However, this new program does not fund 11 of the after-school sites they say their communities rely on. These 11 sites have approximately 1,300 total slots for students.

“We’re just two weeks away from the start of a new school year, but thousands of southern Brooklyn families are scrambling to find free after-school options for their children after the Office of Children & Family Services inexplicably, irresponsibly left them hanging," the statement reads.

The group also said that they received no information when they asked OFCS about alternative free after-school programs for children this June.

A representative for OFCS told Patch that the agency is aware of the problem and is encouraging families to apply to the Child Care Assistance Program, which can help parents pay for childcare costs. The application can be accessed here.

“We’re incredibly frustrated and disappointed by the state’s handling of this situation, and call on OCFS to guarantee free after-school programs for southern Brooklyn families,” the statement reads.

New York City public schools start the school year on September 5.