Brooklyn, NY – Public Advocate Bill de Blasio today launched an online petition urging Mayor Bloomberg to restore funding for the city’s Priority 7 program, which provides free childcare and afterschool services to families in need.
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Under Mayor Bloomberg’s proposed budget, approximately 2,000 children will lose access to childcare by July 1st if the funds are not restored. The cut disproportionally affects large Jewish families with several children and only one working parent.
“I am deeply troubled by the proposed elimination of the Priority 7 program,” Public Advocate Bill de Blasio said. “It is unconscionable to take this benefit away from working parents just when they need it the most. Child care services aren’t negotiable and this much-needed funding should not be used to plug in our budget gap. I urge parents concerned by this cut to go to my website and sign this petition.”
The petition, which is available on http://advocate.nyc.gov/petition-priority-7 , reads:
“As a parent, I am deeply concerned about Mayor Bloomberg’s plan to eliminate the Priority 7 voucher program to help close the city’s budget deficit. Priority 7 currently provides 2,000 children free access to afterschool programs. This is an unreasonable cut that will leave hundreds of working families without the child care they need. This cut, in the middle of one of the worst employment crisis our City has faced in decades, is simply intolerable.
I urge Mayor Michael Bloomberg to put families and children first, and restore the funding for this vital program.”
The Public Advocate will deliver the petitions to City Hall during the budget process.
Finally someone is doing something to get us back the vouchers.
Thank you Public Advocate.