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Q&A
Council Member Stevens questions ACS on Children's Center funding and operations
0:43:44
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176 sec
Council Member Althea Stevens questions ACS Commissioner Jess Dannhauser and First Deputy Commissioner Winette Saunders about funding and operations of the Children's Center. The discussion covers repairs, transportation services, and the number of youth served by the center.
- Additional funding was required for facade repairs and transportation services for the Children's Center.
- ACS makes efforts to keep children in their community schools and provide transportation for various needs.
- The current average population at the Children's Center is slightly below 70, which is a reduction from previous years.
- The chapter ends with a brief mention of the current population in juvenile detention centers.
Althea Stevens
0:43:44
The executive plan includes 1,500,000.0 in city funding in fiscal twenty twenty six for faded related repairs in the children's center.
0:43:54
The plan also includes state and federal funding which with 531,000,000 in fiscal twenty twenty five and a hundred and 40,000,000 baseline starting in fiscal twenty twenty six for transfer transportation related services for the childcare center.
0:44:11
Why was additional funding required for this work and work is this work capital eligible?
Jess Dannhauser
0:44:21
So we have capital dollars for the Children's Center, about $15,000,000.
0:44:26
We also have the one piece that you're referencing that is not capital eligible, I believe, is the facade.
0:44:33
We had some issues with facade and have to do updated pointing of the building at the children's center.
0:44:41
On transportation we're doing a lot to make sure the children are getting to school and so we're constantly assessing what the need is there.
0:44:49
Do you want to talk about the effort to get kids to school every day?
Winette Saunders
0:44:52
Sure.
0:44:53
So good morning chairs.
0:44:55
Thank you so much for asking about the Children's Center.
0:44:58
Just to talk a little bit about the effort to take children to school on daily basis, as you know we make our very best effort to keep children in their community schools.
0:45:09
With that being said, we have numerous childcare chaperones that take children to their community schools whether it be Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Staten Island on a daily basis.
0:45:20
With that being said, we are also responsible for taking children to their medical appointments, their visits, and anything in their normal daily routine.
0:45:29
It is important to us for us to keep the community ties for our young people, so transportation is a very big deal at the Children's Center.
Althea Stevens
0:45:37
How is that funding amount determined?
Jess Dannhauser
0:45:41
It depends on the census and what the the cost is.
0:45:45
So we really just make sure we've got what we need to get the kids to school and we ask our finance department to work with OMB to make it happen.
Althea Stevens
0:45:54
How many youth were served by the Children's Center in 2024 and how many in 2025?
Jess Dannhauser
0:45:59
Can you say that again chair, I'm sorry.
Althea Stevens
0:46:00
How many youth were served by the Children's Center in fiscal twenty twenty four and 2025?
Jess Dannhauser
0:46:04
I don't have the exact number of total for the Children's Center but typically we've been averaging a slight reduction in census at the Children's Center, a little bit below 70 which is slightly down from years prior.
Althea Stevens
0:46:20
The PM the PMMR shows an increase in the number of youth admitted into juvenile detentions as compared to the same period last year.
0:46:30
What is the current population of each horizon and crossroads?
Jess Dannhauser
0:46:34
So this morning we have three zero one across both and it's it's pretty even across the two sites.