Public Advocate Delivers Thousands of Signatures to Mayor from Parents Opposing Child Care Cuts - June 7, 2011
Parents oppose closing 110 daycare centers, eliminating daycare for thousands of kids
At a City Hall rally today, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio delivered 3,773 signatures to Mayor Bloomberg from parents opposing unprecedented cuts to childcare. The petitions were collected by organizers from Public Advocate de Blasio’s office from parents at daycare centers, including some of the 110 centers that will be eliminated by Mayor Bloomberg’s budget. The Mayor’s proposals will slash services for as many as 7,000 children, according to the Citizens’ Committee for Children.
“We need to be committed as a city to preparing our kids to learn on that first day of school. That’s something every parent knows and certainly something an ‘Education Mayor’ should understand,” said Public Advocate Bill de Blasio. “This budget consigns an entire generation of New York City kids to inferior childcare—and in some cases no childcare at all—during those first critical years of their development. The parents of this city cannot let that happen.”
The childcare cuts will eliminate the Priority 5 and 6 programs which provide vouchers for daycare services to working parents and those enrolled in job training. The drastic cuts will require the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) to provide much more limited childcare services by closing 110 daycare centers across the city and requiring increased co-payments. In many instances childcare services will be shifted to cheaper providers whose programs are shorter in duration and provide less individual attention and instruction due to larger class sizes.
The signatures delivered by Public Advocate de Blasio put the total collected by a broad coalition of childcare advocates to over 30,000. Public Advocate de Blasio gathered the signatures as part of his campaign to make children a priority in this year’s budget. He has also collected over 5,200 petition signatures against the proposed firing of over 4,100 teachers.
Statement on DOI’s Report on Blizzard Response
June 3, 2011
“Way back when the snow was still falling, it was clear that the botched storm response was first and foremost a failure of leadership. I commend the Department of Investigation for putting together this thorough report and for incorporating information from constituent cases provided by my office. Now that allegations of a slowdown have been debunked, our efforts should turn to making sure we are ready in six months when winter returns.”
Statement in Support of TLC’s Five-Borough Taxi and Livery Service Plan
June 2, 2011
”The Five-Borough Yellow Taxi and Livery Service Plan is a winner for all of New York City’s residents. By auctioning new medallions that permit taxis picking up street hails outside of Manhattan, we will improve transportation in the outer boroughs while adding over $1 billion in revenue and thousands of good jobs for New York City. I also believe that the City’s efforts to ensure financing for livery owners seeking outer borough permits are a key piece of making this plan work. I am proud to support this proposal.”
Statement on Governor Cuomo Withdrawing from “Secure Communities” Program - June 1, 2011
“Secure Communities has unfairly targeted immigrants and increased wrongful deportations. Despite its name, the program has made New Yorkers less safe and torn families apart. I applaud Governor Cuomo for pulling us out of the program so we can get back to focusing on the law enforcement priorities that truly keep our communities safe.”
