CHCF Laments the Death of Infant Boy at Unlicensed SoHo Day Care and Calls on the City for a Greater Investment in Child Care
New York, NY. – The Committee for Hispanic Children and Families, Inc. (CHCF) is deeply saddened by the death of 3-month-old Karl Towndrow at an unlicensed child care in SoHo. CHCF offers its deepest condolences to the family. We believe this tragedy is a wake-up call to ensure that all families have access to quality, affordable and safe child care programs.
CHCF calls for a broad investigation of the circumstances that led to this tragedy. New York City must take immediate measures to ensure the safety and well-being of its children. CHCF calls upon the NYS Office of Children and Family Services, the Administration for Children Services, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and other responsible agencies to increase efforts in monitoring the licensing process, inspecting day cares, enforcing closing illegal sites and background checks. Parents need to go to work knowing that their children are being cared by qualified child care professionals and learning in safe child care settings.
“There has to be greater accountability and it is unacceptable that unregulated and illegal child care operations are only brought to the attention of the public when a child is hurt or when a tragedy happens, especially when the public takes the necessary steps to inform our city officials” said Grace Bonilla, CHCF President.
CHCF will monitor the city’s response to this tragedy and will continue to advocate for licensed, high quality, linguistically and culturally competent child care services that truly meet the needs of families and children throughout the city.
To learn more on how to find quality child care programs in NYC, visit the Parent Resources page
