Brooklyn, NY – Today at City Hall over fifty yeshiva administrators and advocates joined Councilmembers David Greenfield (D-Boro Park), Lew Fidler (D-Marine Park), Letitia James (D-Crown Heights), Brad Lander (D-Park Slope), Stephen Levin (D-Williamsburg), Mathieu Eugene (D-Flatbush), Mark Weprin (D-Queens), Ydanis Rodriguez (D-Manhattan) and Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, along with representatives from the offices of Jumaane Williams (D-Flatbush), Karen Koslowitz (D-Queens) and Mike Nelson (D-Midwood) to deliver over 12,000 letters from their constituents to Mayor Bloomberg asking him to restore funding for Priority 7 vouchers in this year’s budget. Nearly 2,200 low-income children benefit from these vouchers by receiving day care or after-school programs. There is no plan to provide these children with alternative programs.

“There is no question that our city is facing a tremendous budget deficit, but balancing the budget on the backs of one community is not the solution,” said Councilmember David Greenfield who arranged the press conference and delivery of the letters to Deputy Mayor Howard Wolfson. “Thousands of kids are going to be without childcare in communities that don’t otherwise benefit from publicly funded education and day care.  Without Priority 7 these children and their families are without a vital lifeline, and the city has no plan for how to support these children once Priority 7 is eliminated.”

In 2008, ACS issued a Needs Assessment report titled “Charting the Course for Child Care and Head Start: Community Needs Analysis of Early Care and Education in New York City” which asserted that Boro Park and Williamsburg are two communities with among the highest need for early care and education. Residents in Boro Park and Williamsburg are also major recipients of Priority 7 vouchers, and the decision to completely eliminate the Priority 7 program would only exacerbate the existing need for early care and education programs in these communities.

Councilmember Lew Fidler said, “Parents should not have to choose between taking care of their children and working for a living. The Mayor found a way to provide funding for this important program last year in the midst of an election campaign. Now, he needs to find another miracle. Even with no election, he must do the right thing, and prove that last year’s restoration was not just a cynical political exercise.”

Councilmember Letitia James said, “We call on Mayor Bloomberg to honor his commitment to Priority 7-eligible families. Low-income households include families with broad circumstances, and many of those families may not be eligible for similar programs. We cannot turn our backs on families who depend on these childcare services.”

 “I stand with my fellow Councilmembers to ask City Hall to save Priority 7 vouchers,” said Councilmember Stephen Levin. “This vital program, which has endured harsh budget cuts in the past, cannot be further reduced. Thousands of children will have no where to turn without Priority 7 vouchers. During these tough economic times, the city must continue to provide essential services: public day care is one of the services we just cannot lose.”

Councilmember Brad Lander added, “Mayor Bloomberg, we need your help.  As you know, Priority 7 vouchers provide essential after-school and child care services for thousands of families in our community.  My City Council colleagues and I are fighting hard to make sure we don’t abandon these families.  Please meet us half-way, and don’t turn your back on needy families in our neighborhoods.”

The cost of Priority 7 has already been reduced from $16 million in FY 2010 to $12 million in FY 2011 because many eligible families have already shifted to Priority 5.  Priority 5, which has even stricter income and employment requirements, likely won’t be a viable alternative for most of those families still receiving Priority 7 vouchers.

Four of the Councilmembers — Greenfield, Lander, Levin and James — met with ACS Commissioner John Mattingly to express their distress over the elimination of Priority 7 vouchers. However, that meeting did not yield any change in the elimination of the vouchers.

The delivery of more than 12,000 letters to Mayor Bloomberg today comes as budget negotiations between the City Council and Mayor intensify. The Councilmembers personally delivered the letters to Deputy Mayor Howard Wolfson who received them on behalf of the Mayor. This week is the last full week of negotiations since, by law, the city must pass its budget no later than July 1st.

(YWN Desk – NYC)