WILLIAMSBURG — Despite frigid temperatures, parents, caretakers and elected officials rallied outside Nuestros Niños Child Development Center on South Fourth Street in Williamsburg on Friday, Jan. 24. They called on Mayor Eric Adams and the Department of Education (DOE) to reverse their decision to close the center, which has served the community for over 50 years. 

Nuestros Niños, Grand Street Settlement in Bushwick, Friends of Crown Heights in Crown Heights, Fort Greene Council in Fort Greene and a center in Queens are on the DOE chopping block. All are set to close on June 30. 

At the rally, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, who graduated from Nuestros Niños’s pre-K program, pointed out the center had a utilization rate of 82%, with 96 students enrolled in early childhood education programs. This data contradicts the DOE’s claim that only four students were enrolled at Nuestros Niños, thus not meeting the required enrollment threshold. 

City Councilmember Jennifer Gutiérrez (D-34), who represents the district, pointed out that many staffers would lose their jobs if the centers closed, and Congressmember Nydia Velázquez (D-NY7) promised the crowd she would fight to keep the early childhood education centers open and the systemic inequities throughout society.