We have been pleased to be a part of the Greenwich Village community for more than 100 years, and have tremendous pride in the great early childhood, nursery, arts, after school, and summer camp programs that are currently offered there. Children’s Aid has been dedicated to helping the poor children of New York City thrive since 1853, and we constantly struggle with difficult decisions about which services are most closely aligned with our mission.
We thought it was important to take the unusual step of informing you that we are considering putting the Center up for sale. This is not a final decision, but is under serious consideration. If a decision is made to sell the buildings, it is likely that the Early Childhood Program and other programs will operate through June 2012. We know that many families will want to explore other nursery school options for next year under these circumstances. For that reason, we did not want to wait for a final decision before alerting you to the potential sale.
We are aware that this news will come as a shock to many. The programs are wonderful and the staff is comprised of supremely talented and caring people. We appreciate the support we have received from families to make the Center a nurturing and enriching environment. We will be working hard to support families and staff through this transition if the buildings are sold. We will keep you informed as this process unfolds.
If Children’s Aid decides to move forward with the sale, we will hold a meeting to explain our reasons and provide a detailed timetable. If you need to speak with someone before then, there will be agency administrators on site at various times during the next few weeks to speak with staff and parents. To begin, Vito Interrante, Division Director, will hold an Open Forum meeting for families, Thursday December 2nd at 5:30pm in the 219 theater. We are sorry to be bringing you this unsettling news, and will work to make any transitions as seamless as is realistically possible.
Sincerely,
Richard Buery President and CEO
Bill Weisberg
Chief Operating Officer
I know a fair bit of my friends have children, or have gone there as children. Rest in peace, Children's Aid, Greenwich Village. D:
