The Red Balloon Early Learning Center is a non-profit, community based preschool which was established 50 years ago by Columbia University parents. Our mission is to serve working families in the Harlem/Morningside Heights neighborhoods to address a lack of affordable, high-quality childcare in the area.
We have been able to do this in large part due to Columbia University's generosity in providing our space for free. Now, we have been informed that Columbia plans to revoke our lease and we will need to vacate the space at the end of the school year in 2023. The administration has not provided any explanation for their actions and we do not know what their plans are for the space going forward. They have ignored multiple emails from the community, including Red Balloon families, faculty and staff, Directors of other Columbia affiliated preschools, our local politicians, and advocacy groups.
In reflecting back on my time at Columbia, one of the most impactful courses I took at Teachers College was Multicultural Education, which not only taught me ways to celebrate and honor the diverse cultures of my students but dove into the intertwined economic and racial inequalities that plague our educational system. The Red Balloon is a beacon of light in this struggle.
Both our children went to Red Balloon. This would never have been possible without their extended hours and year-round classes. We did not have the luxury of sending our children to part-time care. But more importantly, they were instrumental in starting our children on a path of exploration; from food to art, music, their city. We are so grateful to Red Balloon even 18 years later.
My daughter just started at Red Balloon, and we are so happy that we can provide such high-quality care for her. She arrives every day happy and excited to explore. I work as a manager in a non-profit organization, and my wife is a Ph.D. student, and without the financial aid we received from Red Balloon, that would not have been possible.
