In 2015 Hester Street partnered with the Cypress Hills Child Care Corporation (CHCCC) to support the pre-development of a new child care facility in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn. CHCCC has been providing subsidized child care and essential support for small, women-run businesses in the neighborhood for the past three decades, and the new center will support affordable childcare for an additional 88 children and families.
We conducted a space needs assessment and feasibility analysis of zoning, land use and ownership data. We developed a financing plan and budget, negotiated with private lenders and supported CHCCC’s successful application for $2.7 million in City Capital funds and secured nearly $2 million in private financing. In October 2016, CHCCC closed on the acquisition of a long-vacant funeral home for renovation.
Through 2017 we secured an architectural team and oversaw the design for full renovation. The completed project will support access to affordable, quality childcare as more families are anticipated to move into the neighborhood through an upcoming re-zoning.
