Staff at Cornerstone Day Care Center are speaking out against their landlord for what staff says feels like an effort to push the day care out.

For 51 years, Cornerstone Day Care Center has been in the Bedford-Stuyvesant community, but staff say for the past year they've been dealing with resistance from their landlord, Cornerstone Baptist Church, to keep the day care at its current location.

"Initially we were served with the lease termination that says we must vacate the premises based on our original lease not being recorded by the attorney general's office,” said Jasmine Ray, executive director at the day care center. “We won. Then the church appealed that decision. Again, we won."

Along with numerous lawsuits, day care staff say they've dealt with a lack of heat in the winter, causing the center to close down for days at a time, taking a toll on both staff and parents who say it's an inconvenience.

Day care staff say they had to stop paying rent in order to pay legal fees and install their own heating system, to avoid possible issues this winter.

The church filed a motion for the day care to pay rent but it was denied.
 
Day care staff say they just want to know why they're being put through so much trouble.

News 12 reached out to Cornerstone Baptist Church for a response, but attorneys have declined to comment on this matter.