Yeled V'Yalda Early Childhood Center Inc.
Lobbying client
Yeled V'Yalda is a Brooklyn-based nonprofit social service agency that runs early childhood education, Head Start and Early Head Start, special education, early intervention and family support services for low-income children and families, with sites in Brooklyn and Staten Island. It holds about $33.6 million in active city contracts as of August 2026 and has filed 9 lobbying disclosures since 2025, lobbying all 51 council members citywide through GrandRap Strategies LLC and Skyhigh PR Inc. on funding for its educational and special child programs.
- Council members lobbied
- 51 (citywide)
- Filings (since 2024)
- 9
- Lobbying compensation (since 2024)
- $174,000
- Industry (per city contracts)
- Human Services
- City contracts (active)
- $33,625,200 · 4 contracts
- Awarded all-time
- $355,082,783 · 71 since 2007, incl. expired
- Paid to date
- $372,774,148
- Won without a fresh bid
- 52% of contract value · $183,862,701 · 47 contracts
- Discretionary funding (FY2009-FY2027)
- $4,576,006 · 32 awards
- Funding history
- Funded 11 years (FY2009–FY2019); not in FY2027
- Top officer pay (FY2023)
- $362,440 · Josef Graus, Bcba
Represented by lobbyist firms
- GrandRap Strategies LLC Lobbyist firm
- Skyhigh PR Inc. Lobbyist firm
Holds contracts at
- Administration for Children's Services City agency
- Department of Design and Construction City agency
- Department of Education City agency
Funded by these agencies
- Department of Education City agency
What they lobbied on
subjects from their filings
- Budget - Educational Programs/Development
- Budget - Funding for special child programs in NYC
- Budget - Funding for special programs and assistance
- Budget - Program Funding
City contracts
Registered city contracts, largest first by current contract value (not amount spent): running now, then registered to start later, then ended. Totals count every registered contract. Each line shows its Checkbook contract ID. The tag on each row is how it was awarded (“no-bid” = non-competitive).
- Title I Nonpublic Schools Supplemental Instructional Service Department of Education · MA104020269670515 $26,500,000
- Student Support Services Department of Education · MA104020269676735 $4,975,200
- REAL PROPERTY FOR CHILDHOOD CARE CENTER Department of Design and Construction · CT185020090035908 $1,400,000
- Professional Development for School Leaders and Teachers Department of Education · MA104020249477785 $750,000
- RELATED SERVICES AND GENERAL NURSING Department of Education · MA104020089871416 · ended 2010 $59,037,590
- EarlyLearn Services Administration for Children's Services · CT106820131407322 · ended 2016 $42,800,088
- PROVISION OF SERVICES FOR PRESCHOOL STUDENTS WITT DISABIL Department of Education · MA104020089870539 · ended 2012 $37,500,000
- Renewal of Related Services for Special Education Department of Education · MA104020229276261 · ended 2025 $22,282,712
- Head Start/UPK Services Administration for Children's Services · CT106820111428419 · ended 2013 $21,929,413
- Related Services for Special needs Students Department of Education · MA104020139372142 · ended 2015 $15,249,000
Largest payments, by purpose
The organization's largest individual city payments (roughly $25,000 and up), grouped by purpose, to show what recent money was for. This is NOT a total — smaller payments aren't listed; see “Paid to date” above for the complete amount paid against its contracts. Fiscal years 2020 and later.
- UPK-BTF Department of Education · FY2026 · 22 payments $1,690,674
- UPK-BTF Department of Education · FY2025 · 21 payments $1,384,695
- UPK-BTF Department of Education · FY2023 · 19 payments $1,342,179
- UPK-BTF Department of Education · FY2024 · 12 payments $678,612
- Head Start Services Department of Education · FY2024 $583,550
- Birth to Five Department of Education · FY2022 · 4 payments $546,741
- UPK-HST Department of Education · FY2023 $545,671
- UPK- Universal Prekindergarten Service Department of Education · FY2021 · 9 payments $541,629
- UPK- Universal Prekindergarten Service Department of Education · FY2020 · 7 payments $408,687
- UPK - Universal Pre-Kindergarten Services Department of Education · FY2021 · 10 payments $377,955
- UPK- Universal Prekindergarten Services Department of Education · FY2021 · 7 payments $367,610
- UPK- Universal Prekindergarten Services Department of Education · FY2020 · 6 payments $302,112
- UPK - Universal Prekindergarten Services Department of Education · FY2020 · 8 payments $299,520
- Birth to Five Services Department of Education · FY2022 · 3 payments $255,516
- R1395 - UPK for All Department of Education · FY2024 · 4 payments $254,886
- UPK-Universal Pre-Kindergarten Services Department of Education · FY2022 $232,411
- UPK-BTF Department of Education · FY2022 · 5 payments $197,858
- UPK - Universal Prekindergarten Services Department of Education · FY2022 · 2 payments $195,840
- UPK - Universal Pre-Kindergarten Services Department of Education · FY2020 · 5 payments $178,425
- R1395 -UPK for all Department of Education · FY2023 · 3 payments $176,308
Discretionary funding received
City Council discretionary (member-item) awards, largest first. Covers FY2009-FY2027.
- Yeled V'Yalda 12F Discretionary Child Care · ACS · FY2014 $1,517,000
- Yeled V'Yalda 12F EarlyLearn / Childcare · ACS · FY2013 $1,138,919
- Yeled V' Yalda 204 EarlyLearn / Childcare · ACS · FY2013 $477,184
- Yeled V' Yalda - 712 Bedford Ave Discretionary Child Care · ACS · FY2014 $382,297
- Yeled V' Yalda 204 - 563 Bedford Ave Discretionary Child Care · ACS · FY2014 $252,703
- Local DYCD · FY2009 $250,000
- Local DYCD · FY2010 $250,000
- Youth Youth · DYCD · FY2009 $51,714
- Youth Youth · DYCD · FY2010 $48,214
- Local DYCD · FY2010 $20,000
- Youth Youth · DYCD · FY2011 $20,000
- Youth Youth · DYCD · FY2016 $15,500
- Youth Youth · DYCD · FY2017 $15,500
- Youth Youth · DYCD · FY2018 $15,500
- Youth Youth · DYCD · FY2019 $15,500
- Local DYCD · FY2012 $10,000
- Local DYCD · FY2013 $10,000
- Local DYCD · FY2014 $10,000
- Youth Youth · DYCD · FY2015 $8,000
- Local DYCD · FY2010 $7,500
Officer & key-staff pay
Reportable compensation from this organization's IRS Form 990 (Part VII), latest available filing (FY2023). Includes pay from related organizations where reported; an annual figure, not a running total. Source: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
- Josef Graus Bcba $362,440
- Devorah Ackerman Bcba $337,138
- Mordechai Schwartz CEO $327,629
- Mina Sputz Director Of Ed & Disabilities $324,359
- Zelda Singer Bcba $318,726
- Batsheva Werner Bcba $316,767
Officer pay over time
Total officer pay changed +20% from FY2020 to FY2023. Top-officer reportable compensation by year (org-paid only), with each year's share of total revenue. Source: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer 990 filings.
- FY2020 Joseph Graus · 2.24% of revenue $328,896
- FY2021 Mendel Brachfeld · 2.04% of revenue $357,808
- FY2022 Josef Graus · 1.81% of revenue $387,581
- FY2023 Josef Graus · 1.66% of revenue $362,440
Federal awards
Federal awards made directly to this organization in fiscal years 2023 through 2026. Each amount is what the federal government has OBLIGATED on that award as recorded on USAspending.gov as of 2026-08-31 — money committed, not money paid out. These are prime awards only: federal money this
- Department of Health and Human Services 93.600 Head Start · Administration for Children and Families · Grant $152,083,673
- Department of Health and Human Services 93.600 Head Start · Administration for Children and Families · Grant $116,514,021
- Department of Health and Human Services 93.600 Head Start · Administration for Children and Families · Grant $3,348,513
- Federal Communications Commission 32.004 UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUND - SCHOOLS and LIBRARIES · Federal Communications Commission · Direct payment $70,523
- Federal Communications Commission 32.004 UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUND - SCHOOLS and LIBRARIES · Federal Communications Commission · Direct payment $51,866
- Federal Communications Commission 32.004 UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUND - SCHOOLS and LIBRARIES · Federal Communications Commission · Direct payment $30,650
- Federal Communications Commission 32.004 UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUND - SCHOOLS and LIBRARIES · Federal Communications Commission · Direct payment $29,581
- Federal Communications Commission 32.004 UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUND - SCHOOLS and LIBRARIES · Federal Communications Commission · Direct payment $28,427
- Federal Communications Commission 32.004 UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUND - SCHOOLS and LIBRARIES · Federal Communications Commission · Direct payment $25,604
- Federal Communications Commission 32.004 UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUND - SCHOOLS and LIBRARIES · Federal Communications Commission · Direct payment $25,161
- Federal Communications Commission 32.004 UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUND - SCHOOLS and LIBRARIES · Federal Communications Commission · Direct payment $25,139
- Federal Communications Commission 32.004 UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUND - SCHOOLS and LIBRARIES · Federal Communications Commission · Direct payment $12,162
- Federal Communications Commission 32.004 UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUND - SCHOOLS and LIBRARIES · Federal Communications Commission · Direct payment $12,068
- Federal Communications Commission 32.004 UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUND - SCHOOLS and LIBRARIES · Federal Communications Commission · Direct payment $10,257
- Federal Communications Commission 32.004 UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUND - SCHOOLS and LIBRARIES · Federal Communications Commission · Direct payment $3,510
- Federal Communications Commission 32.004 UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUND - SCHOOLS and LIBRARIES · Federal Communications Commission · Direct payment $3,174
- Federal Communications Commission 32.004 UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUND - SCHOOLS and LIBRARIES · Federal Communications Commission · Direct payment $1,069