Brooklyn childhood education center fighting to reopen after waiting months for NYCHA to address mold issues

NEW YORK — A Brooklyn childhood education center that has been operating for decades is fighting to reopen after waiting months for NYCHA to address mold issues.

The federally funded Head Start program operates six locations located around low-income communities, providing free child care services.

"We've been providing services ever since 1966, so we are a staple in the community," said Angela Terry, executive director of the Bedford Stuyvesant Early Childhood Development Center.

Bedford Stuyvesant Early Childhood Development Center closes 1 location due to mold

Empty cubbies and untouched art supplies collect dust in the community center of NYCHA's Stuyvesant Gardens. The two classrooms are home to one of the locations of the Bedford Stuyvesant Early Childhood Development Center.

Terry says the space has been unused for months as the nonprofit waits for NYCHA to get rid of mold.

"We noticed there was some mold, we've contacted NYCHA ... They fixed one area, however there are other areas within the classrooms themselves, that there is mold that still exists," she told CBS News New York's Hannah Kliger.

The Stuyvesant Gardens location has been closed to kids and staff since the start of 2024, with services at the location moved to other sites.

A NYCHA spokesperson said the mold was removed earlier in September, but when shown images of what CBS News New York crews saw this week, a spokesperson agreed there's more to be done.

The agency responded, writing in a statement: "NYCHA staff are working to address additional concerns and conduct the remaining repairs at these locations."

"As a parent, you want to see where your child is going to be. You want to feel the place. You know, a lot of those things matter," Terry said.

Childhood development center in NYCHA's Kingsborough Houses faces challenges

Another location, operating from NYCHA's Kingsborough Houses, faces its own challenges.

"We're dealing with an issue with flooding, the plumbing, the pipes. Some of the work has been worked on. Now it's just a matter of us being able to get it up to par so that we can open up," Terry said.

NYCHA says it completed repairs at the Kingsborough Houses location.