Brooklyn child care centers react to Trump's funding freeze
With no clear timeline on how long a freeze may pan out, providers say families may be left in limbo, unsure of what childcare will look like in the near future.
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This week, President Donald's Trump’s administration announced a funding freeze of billions of dollars.
The cutoff would directly impact federal dollars that help subsidize childcare for low-income and working families in Brooklyn.
“For us, it means we could have seats eliminated,” said Debra Sue Lorenzen, director of youth & education at St. Nicks Alliance. “Slots eliminated, serving less children over the long term when we in fact need to serve more children. I think that then has some negative impact on individual families and their financial stability, let alone the long-term health of a child.”
Lorenzen has worked with St. Nicks Alliance for decades. She says the nonprofit - which operates Small World Early Childhood Center - heard about the freeze along with everyone else.
The claims of fraud and misuse of funds by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, came as a shock.
“In New York state, there's a very rigorous process for families to be eligible for vouchers or extended year slots,” said Lorenzen. “They're not handed out easily. Families have to demonstrate that they meet many, many different criteria in order to be eligible. Iyou ask me, it's almost overkill.”
“Why is there such a frontal assault on children in this nation from this administration?,
questioned Gov. Kathy Hochul, when asked about the freeze at a press conference. “We'll fight this with every fiber of our being because our kids should not be political pawns in a fight that Donald Trump seems to have with blue state governors.”
With no clear timeline on how long a freeze may pan out, providers say families may be left in limbo, unsure of what childcare will look like in the near future.
Beyond the uncertainty for parents who depend on childcare while they work, the freeze also raises concerns about how this could impact the city’s current push towards universal child care.
“We have a mayor in place now who is deeply committed to universal child care,” said Lorenzen. “Who understands the affordability crisis and understands that child care is part of that affordability crisis that is driving families out of the city. And to reverse that, we need more public investment, not less.”
At Small World Early Childcare Center and likely other providers across the city, the staff is now planning to meet with families to discuss what’s happening and what forms of advocacy they can participate in.
