Q&A
Ongoing negotiations and improved communication with the Department of Education
0:23:46
ยท
173 sec
The representatives discuss ongoing negotiations with the Department of Education and recent improvements in communication. They express gratitude for the increased engagement while acknowledging that earlier communication could have prevented the current situation.
- The Department of Education and School Construction Authority are in talks with property managers about lease extensions
- Recent meetings between center staff and the DOE enrollment team have clarified many questions
- Monthly meetings are now scheduled to improve ongoing communication
- Centers are keeping families and community stakeholders updated on negotiations
Aaron Sanders
0:23:46
My apologies, it's my understanding right now that the Department of Education and the school construction authority is in conversation with the property manager to best find a solution to either extend the lease for us.
Rita Joseph
0:24:00
Okay.
0:24:00
And did they give you
Aaron Sanders
0:24:01
a timeline?
0:24:02
Not that I'm aware of.
Rita Joseph
0:24:04
But you are in conversation?
Aaron Sanders
0:24:05
Yes.
0:24:06
Our executive team is.
0:24:07
Yes.
0:24:08
Okay.
0:24:10
Could they have done a
Rita Joseph
0:24:11
better way of communicating this?
0:24:12
Was could this have been done much better in terms of communication?
0:24:20
Don't be shy.
Aaron Sanders
0:24:26
May I have some time to consider the question?
Rita Joseph
0:24:28
Absolutely.
0:24:29
Always feel like I can say this on the record.
0:24:31
Communication informs how you make your moves, right, how you serve your families.
0:24:35
So communication becomes very important in how you talk with your stakeholders, right.
0:24:39
These are families being impacted and if this is the only child care center in the neighborhood, you're creating a child care desert and where do families go, right?
0:24:48
We want families to work and we know when families don't work what happens to that.
0:24:59
Anything else you want to share on the record?
0:25:06
No?
0:25:07
It's not the time to be shy guys.
Ingrid Matias Chungata
0:25:09
No.
0:25:09
I just want to say that I am I'm thankful for the conversations that have been happening with the Department of Education.
0:25:16
So we were able to have a meeting with our family worker team last week with the enrollment team and clarified so many questions that the team had and that is was very powerful conversation.
0:25:28
I was glad that we had that.
0:25:29
But those are things that should have happened prior for us to being in the situation that we're in.
0:25:35
And also having we're gonna moving forward, we're gonna have monthly meetings.
0:25:38
I think that it's key also in programs that have been identified as low enrollment in order for to be blindsided the way that we were.
0:25:48
Because if that's the case, having that conversation even a couple of months ahead of time, we will be like, okay, we could build on this, but it was not nothing was done.
0:25:56
Now it's being done and I'm grateful for that opportunity and my team is is grateful.
0:26:01
So I have to thank the deputy deputy chancellor Hawkins for that and her team for putting that together.
Aaron Sanders
0:26:10
I wanna echo that sentiment.
0:26:11
We're grateful for the DOE for continuing the negotiations and discussions.
0:26:17
Like Nostril Sininos, we've been in communication with the families, had an open house, invited elected officials and community stakeholders just to see the value add of the Bushwick Child and Family Center and we're keeping them updated as these negotiations happen.
0:26:32
But we are thankful that this hearing was convened and that the vitality of the community center is being considered.