IN TOWN
mix with other groups, and adults must wear masks when they’re within 6 feet of each other. Outdoor play, dropoffs and pickups are encouraged, along with regular disinfecting of toys and other objects kids share.
But Khalil said brutal financial losses from the pandemic left her without the cash on hand to buy the necessary cleaning supplies and training for her staff. State officials are offering grants to providers to help purchase supplies and fund training, but programs are only eligible if they plan to open by the end of the month
— something Khalil says she can’t commit to.
Some providers say that, even with the required safety measures in place, families and staff are wary of returning so soon.
“My teachers are freaked out. They don’t know whether it’s safe to come back. They’re nervous and need training,” said Khalil.
Mary Cheng, who oversees six city-subsidized day cares run by the Chinese-American Planning Council, said only a handful of her dozens of families have said they would send their kids back this summer.
Cheng kept one of her centers open during the pandemic for emergency child care for kids of essential workers. But that program capped kids at 10 per room and had a full-time nurse — luxuries she won’t be able to afford when her normal program resumes.
“There’s a lot of anxiety about returning,” said Mai Miksic, a senior research analyst at the Day Care Council of New York, which represents hundreds of city-funded programs. “Just the presence of a nurse would be really important.”
Wary families could also spell more financial trouble for day care operators, who largely rely on private tuition dollars to stay afloat.
“I’m looking at six-figure losses,” said Alice Mulligan, the director of Our Saviour’s Lutheran Preschool in Brooklyn.
Still, providers are doing everything they can to prepare their buildings and staff for reopening, and to reassure anxious families it’s safe.
“We all want to do what’s best for children,” said Khalil.
Some programs are closer to reopening than others.
Sobel, the operator of three Brooklyn day cares who plans to reopen before the end of the month, knows she’s in a better position than many of her colleagues.
She’s fully staffed, and has access to private outdoor space at two of her sites — a draw for parents worried about kids staying in confined indoor spaces for extended periods. Sobel has also invested in a high-tech air filtration system that’s used in airplanes.
Those precautions helped convince Zelevansky she could safely send her 3-yearold back to school.
“We felt like there was a real plan in place,” she said.