City Cuts Funding For More Than A Dozen Early Childhood Education Centers, With No Reason Why Given
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Funding doors have slammed shut for more than a dozen early childhood education centers in Chicago, despite decades of service.
It is happening right as the city moves toward pre-K for all. But as CBS 2 Political Investigator Dana Kozlov reported Monday, many who have lost their funding said they are not being told why.
Little Angels Childcare Center is an Englewood staple. It is a 25-year fixture helping prepare preschoolers for kindergarten in a neighborhood with its share of challenges.
"To have this place in Englewood – it's everything," said parent Cherelle Bilal.
It is everything to parents, and to the founder of the child care center, Nashone Greer-Adams.
"We provide phenomenal wraparound services," Greer-Adams said.
The services are provided to 42 children at no cost to families. It is why funding is crucial.
But after submitting a request for proposal, or RFP, to the Chicago Department of Family Support Services, Greer-Adams was stunned to learn Little Angels had been defunded.
No one at DFSS will tell her why or how she scored.
"We're asking for transparency, because how can we self-improve if we do not understand where we fell short?" Greer-Adams said.
Little Angels is one of 15 longstanding child care center losers in this RFP process, which is used to dole out $193 million taxpayer dollars.
Little Angels was rejected despite former Mayor Rahm Emanuel touting it as one of the best centers in the city, and after it was awarded more than $2 million to build a new school in a lot across the street.
Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6th) said the lack of transparency is a concern not only for the city, but also for taxpayers.
"The problem of the process, obviously, is a concern," Sawyer said.
Sawyer has introduced a resolution asking for hearings on the matter.
DFSS Commissioner Lisa Morrison Butler defended her department's process.
"DFSS, since before I got here, has a policy and practice of not releasing scores," she said. "It was not our design to defund. We do not celebrate any longstanding partner that we valued and that did good work and was not successful. But the process, unfortunately, is pretty agnostic."
So where does that leave centers like Little Angels, which may be forced to close their doors if they don't get additional funding?
Morrison Butler said the commissioner would have to have conversations, but nothing is guaranteed.
Meanwhile, Sawyer said he is waiting for an audit of the process to wrap up before introducing that resolution calling for hearings.