The preschool and community center-a $3 million renovation project which just held an opening celebration in early August and will begin operations in early September-fills a void in most homeless housing and service centers. Services for children and families remain very hard to come by, preventing many single parents and families that are unhoused from transitioning to a more stable and secure housing situation. The Betty Bazaar Center is the first state-licensed childcare center to open adjacent to homeless housing.
The city's Department of Education is opening an Early Childhood Learning center this fall at 1972 Broadway, catering to students with special needs such as autism, cognitive delays, and emotional disabilities.
Labour pledges to create an integrated network of family hubs that would be so popular and entrenched that no future government could dismantle it. This initiative will build on the legacy of Sure Start and aims to close the attainment gap between poorer and richer children.