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Outrage over Queens Preschool closure
FOX 5 NY's Kendall Green takes a closer look at what might be fueling a Queen's schools decision to close.
FLUSHING, N.Y. - Parents at Rainbow Child Development Center founded in Flushing, Queens are furious.
The signs reading "Keep rainbow open and save our school" are reflections of Thursday’s chants.
New York State Senator John Liu was joined by the school’s operators and scores of concerned parents after a couple of weeks ago parents received notice from the Department of Education that their children would have to be enrolled somewhere else to go to school.
The owner, Chirstine Ye manages 4 campuses in Queens, specializing in providing students with English and Chinese services.
It’s a major driver for many Chinese parents and their kids who've grown deep bonds with the school.
"The last thing our children need is not to be able to go to their school that they’ve gone to since they were young," shared one parent.
"The thought of me to have to move her is something unfamiliar when she is just in that group with her peers," echoed another.
About 3 years ago Senator Liu shared the school received anonymous complaints leading to a report that alleged Rainbow required parents to enroll in their fee-based after-school program as a prerequisite for free pre-k enrollment.
Rainbow argues they don’t offer the fee-based school program unless the child is enrolled in pre-k which is determined by the state DOE—not Rainbow.
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Last month, Rainbow complained to the city’s comptroller’s office that DOE owed them more than $2 million.
Then, they received a letter threatening to terminate their contract for their programs.
"This is just an example of how the DOE uses tactics without regard and sensitivity to what the community needs are," Lui said.
DOE responded to FOX5’s request for comment later Thursday afternoon saying:
"At this time, the DOE has not terminated its contracts with Rainbow Child Development Centers, Inc. and the programs are serving 3-K and pre-K students for the duration of the 2022-2023 school year. However, the DOE was recently notified of an investigation by the Special Commissioner of Investigation for the New York City School District (SCI), which concerned whether this provider's enrollment practices violated its contracts with the DOE. In response to the SCI Report, DOE has requested and received additional information from Rainbow, which it is now in the process of reviewing."
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