Goddard Riverside Community Center
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer held a "town hall"-type meeting about Mayor Bloomberg's proposed cuts to child care services. The event was held at the Goddard Riverside Community Center in Manhattan. Earlier this spring, the city proposed eliminating about 16,500 child care slots, including about 4,000 seats in city-subsidized Day Care Centers. However, after the public erupted in outrage, the city restored $40 million of the $91 million it intended to cut. It remains unclear how the city plans to offer the same services to parents for only half the money, but that's what the city is claiming.
During the meeting, parents shared their stories and concerns about how the cuts will affect their lives. Most told the panel of labor leaders and pubic officials, who listened to the outpouring of frustration, that if they do not have a safe place to leave their babies and young children, they will have to quit work and apply for public assistance.
