Some parents are scrambling to find placement for their children after the city delayed or closed dozens of universal pre-K centers because of unresolved issues.

Bruce Rivera says the city pulled its contract with Rainbow Montessori Academy days before his son Elias was supposed to start. He wound up visiting and calling 17 universal pre-K locations that were either full or too far.

Rivera says he turned to the Department of Education, hoping it would keep its promise to help parents who registered for the program but were left displaced because their centers weren't ready to open. He says the DOE treated him like a number.

One school suggestion that the DOE gave to Rivera was in a public housing building in Throgs Neck.

The Riveras say that after dealing with the DOE and finding programs that didn't meet their needs, they have decided to keep their son at Rainbow Montessori. They are looking at paying $325 a week, but they say it is worth the price.

The DOE says it has placed 152 children in universal pre-K centers out of the 265 whose centers closed.