Lindsay Lohan -- Little Kids Will Determine Her Fate

Lindsay Lohan will be spending the foreseeable future at a Brooklyn daycare center, and if she doesn't she'll probably spend the foreseeable future behind bars.

We've learned the Duffield Children's Center will be Lindsay's community service center of choice as she comes down to the wire in her probation case. As we reported, she's only completed 9 1/2 hours of the 125 and has until May 28 to finish.

Based on our calculations, she'll have to work 7 hours a day, 7 days a week to reach 125 hours by the deadline. If she does, she'll be taken off probation and the case will be closed. If she doesn't, the judge has promised she'll do jail time to serve out her sentence.

As we reported ... Linds had gone M.I.A. in London over the weekend, but it appears she's finally surfaced in NYC, and claims she's "ready to help."

Duffield honchos tell TMZ Lindsay will help kids with arts and crafts, reading and she'll also do administrative work. LiLo has done work there before and they say they're happy to have her back.