September 9, 2026

Dear BFS Families,

Welcome to the beginning of the 2026-2027 school year! 

After spending some time on Martha’s Vineyard in June, I began as Executive Director at Brooklyn Free Space on July 27, 2026. I spent the weeks that followed getting to know teachers, staff, and many of your children.  What a joy it’s been to hear them laughing, playing, singing and wondering. They also took many walks outside, stretched in yoga, played Sportball, and thoroughly enjoyed their Wednesday trip days to places like the Queens Zoo, Adventurer’s Amusement Park, and Liberty Science Center! 

As I’ve begun to settle in, I’ve repeatedly observed the deep care and commitment all the Admin, Staff, and Board have to making sure the children have a safe, engaging, and playful learning experience when they’re here at BFS. Your support as parent members of the cooperative completes this community of care that the children experience daily.

I now want to draw your attention to three very exciting announcements:  

First, we’ve updated the BFS website to make it clearer and more streamlined for visitors on computers as well as mobile devices.  

Second, we’ve unveiled our new BFS Family Hub, where, among other things, families can access information, the events/school calendar, and forms that can be accessed with the simple click of a button. While we will continue to send regular email updates to you about BFS, and your child, you now have a place to access important information 24/7 on the Family Hub. Both updates were done by Deidre Santos, our Director of Finance and Operations. 

Lastly, I’m excited to announce that we are in the process of finalizing a new partnership with the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music  in their new space on Prospect Park West, right around the corner from BFS!  I’ll share more information as we clarify the details of this partnership.

There’s a lot of important information in this email, and I encourage you to read it all, and to let us know if you have any questions.

As the school year gets into full swing, I look forward to getting to know each of you better, and supporting BFS to continue providing the phenomenal early childhood experience that it’s offered for over 40 years.  I, and the entire staff look forward to seeing you and your child on September 10th for the first day of preschool in the 2026-2027 school year!

In community,

Takiema Bunche Smith MPA, MS ED

Executive Director, Brooklyn Free Space