Parents rally to save Bushwick childcare center after funding crisis leads to temporary closure
Families say delayed payments from the New York City Department of Education have left the program unable to continue operating, putting critical services for dozens of children at risk.
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Parents and staff are speaking out after ACE Integration Head Start, a childcare and early education center that has served families in Bedford-Stuyvesant and Bushwick for more than 30 years, suspended its operations Monday amid a funding crisis.
Families say delayed payments from the New York City Department of Education have left the program unable to continue operating, putting critical services for dozens of children at risk.
For Jennifer Kearney, the closure is especially devastating. Her 4-year-old daughter Kennedy attends ACE Integration Head Start and has made significant developmental progress since enrolling.
"My daughter has special needs. She has a speech impediment and she's also on the spectrum," Kearney said. "This place has done so much for us. We understand her. We didn't understand her before."
Parents say the center offers far more than childcare. They say it also provides specialized support, educational resources and a trusted environment for children and families.
Amanda Villafane said she was heartbroken when she learned the program would be shutting down temporarily.
"You go to work, you leave them here and you have to be able to trust who you're leaving your kid with. They provide so many things that go above and beyond the regular schools," she said.
Villafane's daughter, Julianna, is the third generation of her family to attend ACE Integration, highlighting the center's long-standing role in the community.
The financial strain behind the closure has also impacted employees. Parents and staff say teachers worked for an entire month without receiving paychecks while the organization waited for funding.
"We did it because we knew the devastation that it would create with families trying to find childcare momentarily," said teacher Jahida Villafane. "We didn't want to leave them without, but at the same time, it took a strain on us at home."
It remains unclear when ACE Integration Head Start will be able to reopen.
In the meantime, parents are urging city leaders to intervene and restore funding so the program can resume serving local families.
"I'm calling on Mayor [Zohran] Mamdani. I'm calling on all of the council people," Kearney said. "Please, please, we need you guys. Please keep this place open."
Other parents echoed that sentiment, arguing that programs like ACE Integration should be expanded rather than closed.
"They should not be closing," one parent said. "If anything, they should be opening more schools like this."
For many families, ACE Integration Head Start has been more than a school. They say it has been a lifeline, and they are determined to fight for its future.
