Locals Fight For Lost Wages & Tuition At Abruptly Shuttered Windsor Terrace Daycare

The abrupt closure of a beloved Windsor Terrace daycare facility has left 30 families without childcare, 10 workers without employment, and both collectively owed more than $100,000 by its owners.

On Friday, January 20, parents and childcare providers were told that Sunflower Daycare –with locations at 1268 Prospect Ave and 311 Greenwood Avenue — was closing after the death of its owner, Ilene Lieberman. Then on Monday, January 23, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene slapped a vacate order on the property, threatening to issue $500 fines to workers caught with kids on the premises in one week.

The news came as a shock to the parents — many of whom had paid through February or May — and workers, who are collectively owed nearly $14,000 for weeks of unpaid labor.

Lieberman’s children ordered the staff to tell parents about the closure that same day when they picked up their kids. “That was shocking, the way it happened,” Sunflower childcare provider Monique Grant, noting that that was also payday for the staff. “They told us ‘we have no money to pay you’ but they knew what was going on with their mom [who had been battling cancer]. They should have told us earlier.”

In addition, Lieberman had an outstanding debt to a check cashing company that cashed their paychecks, and now that company is going after the workers themselves, said Grant.

Many parents were left in a panic. 30 families had already paid through February — and some through May — and are now collectively owed back $94,000, say parents. Families and staff have reached out to Sunflower LLC about lost wages and payment but so far have not received a response.

But another major issue for parents was the logistics — how were they going to fill the hole left by trusted and loved childcare providers, in just one week?

“We had to be on a waiting list for six months to secure a spot here. Other nearby providers have similarly long wait lists. We’re working parents without immediate family in the New York area, and one week just isn’t enough time,” said parent Scott MacMillan.

In addition, parents and children had developed a strong bond with the Sunflower staff.

“Leaving your child with another caretaker is one of the hardest things to do and something that working families all struggle with,” said Alaina Taylor. “The caretakers at Sunflower showed such love, devotion, and professionalism that I never felt anything but confidence when leaving [my son] with them.”

“Many babies have been at Sunflower since they were less than 5 months old and love their childcare providers like family. These are the people that have helped us raise our children – they are irreplaceable,” said parent Emily Giles.

But parents and Sunflower staff aren’t standing idly by. They’ve organized a campaign website, reached out to council member Brad Lander and other pols, and raised almost $6,150 in two days through a GoFundMe page. The fundraiser’s goal is to get the full $15K owed to Sunflower staff.

In addition, Grant and other staff members are transforming the business into a worker-owned daycare, with help from The Working World program to open an LLC, obtain a license from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and find a pro-bono lawyer to help them recover lost wages and fees paid by parents.

According to DNAinfo, the office of New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is investigating complaints that Ilene’s Sunflower Day Care owes parents and workers money.  In addition, parents have also contacted the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office about the lost wages.

A spokesperson from the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene told the news outlet, and Grant, that they’ll work to expedite the application for a new license.

Grant said that the goal is to keep Sunflower daycare — a facility that 30 families and 10 employees depend on — open.