The Outraged Families of Jowonio School,  Syracuse NY

June 15, 2026

Brianne Tice, Regional Manager

Suzanne Colligan,  Acting Regional Director 

New York State Office of Children and Family Services

Suite 350

100 South Salina St

Syracuse NY, 13202

Dear Regional Manager and Acting Director,

We submit the Mission Statement as published on ocfs.ny.gov

“The Office of Children and Family Services serves New York's public by promoting the safety, permanency and well-being of our children, families and communities. We will achieve results by setting and enforcing policies, building partnerships, and funding and providing quality services.”

   We are writing to ask you to explain how the closing of The Jowonio School last week achieves any of the above tenants of your mission. Yes, we are keenly aware of the “violations” you have shared with the press, and the timeline of the two supervision infractions that occurred in this half of the school year. And yes, we are all aware that oversight needs to be a large part of the equation when maintaining licenses to care for our children. That said, the decision to summarily shut down the daytime home of the children of 172 families, in the final weeks of their program, has done nothing but counter the notion of safety, permanence and well-being of our children. In fact, we find it appalling that your office, whether directed by the State or your regional office, chose this course of action. The most harmful byproduct of your decision was that families were not given the opportunity to finish out the final days of the school year, abruptly cancelling  plans for the celebration of a once in a lifetime milestone for their young children. Add to that, the scramble for alternate care, followed by a rushed search for alternate summer plans that research and results have always favored the Jowonio summer program. You could have conducted a review of what transpired after the conclusion of the scheduled classes and then contributed to a plan to prevent future occurrences. 

          Our families have relied on the exceptional care Jowonio has given our children, in spite of the two events you used as an impetus for closure. Let’s examine those two events in the context of reasonable and achievable expectations in caring for children.

          Whether they were attributed to needed facility upgrades and/or staffing shortages, in reality, they were human errors. Human errors that anyone working in education at every level would tell you are possible. Human errors that occur daily in every facet of society, in every home, school, place of business or worship. There is no organization that can operate without experiencing human mistakes, misjudgment or poor decision making from time to time. I challenge you to look within your office for mistake-free operations.

              The Jowonio parents, grandparents and care takers were made aware of these mistakes as they happened, and of course, we were concerned. Yet, each of us has put our trust in those teachers, administrators, and staff who daily welcome our kids into their classrooms with a sound plan to keep them safe, have a sense of permanence that will serve them as they advance in their educational phase of life, and most of all, strive to maintain their well-being. 

              In summary, yes, some adjustments need to be made for Jowonio to meet the requirements set by your “publicly-funded” department of the State government. But know that we the taxpayers, parents and grandparents and, as you know, tuition payers, are best qualified to judge the quality of care our children receive. And we are in support of Jowonio, particularly, the teaching staff who do the impossible every day. Add to that the support staff who we see often taking care of EVERY child as they enter and exit the building. This place is a model preschool that has made some human errors. When our children error, we don’t dismiss them or throw them out of the house… We assess, adjust and observe then follow up on the results. If errors continue, we assess, adjust and observe and follow up on the result. The same can be said for effective personnel management.

           Reinstate the license to operate the Jowonio school immediately. The teachers and staff who are in jeopardy of losing their positions have been chosen from an ever-shrinking pool of talent, willing to do a low-paying and under-appreciated job because they know it matters, and they have our confidence. We believe they are worth holding onto.  Our extensive search for the ideal school where our kids can develop and grow landed at Jowonio. We understand that they are prone to mistakes like all of us. It is our belief that those board members, teachers and remaining administrators are educated, caring and well-intentioned individuals, and we remain confident that they are the right people to join us in the development of our children.

            After the reinstatement, it is time for your office to go to work with the final statements in YOUR mission, by providing funding and quality services and by partnering with this unique and valuable resource that has educated, supported and, yes, loved our children for over 60 years. 

          We look forward to you response immediately as the welfare of OUR children is at stake. 

Sincerely, 

The concerned and caring families of children entrusted to The Jowonio School