| Photo by Francesca Pinto on Unsplash
Working-class families deserve nothing less than a hard-working administration that puts their needs first. And when it comes to child care and after-school programming, this administration has listened to the parents of this city and taken meaningful action to support children and make life more affordable for them.
For too long, too many families have been denied access to affordable child care, including options for young children and after-school programming. Families have struggled due to high costs, forcing them to make difficult choices between working to put food on the table and caring for their children, and some have even had to leave the city they love. Parents deserve better, and our administration is delivering for them.
We know that learning doesn’t end when the school bell rings at the end of the day. That is why, earlier this year, we announced the goal of achieving universal after-school by creating 20,000 additional K-5 after-school seats for New York City Public School students by the start of the 2027 school year.
Last week, we took another step in delivering on that promise with our first batch of 5,000 new after-school seats for this upcoming school year. We are investing an additional $21 million this school year alone to bring 5,000 new K-5 after-school seats online at 40 schools that never had after-school programming. Starting this fall, 5,000 children in neighborhoods with the most need will have a safe and nurturing place to go when the school day is over. It means 5,000 students and their parents or guardians who will no longer have to choose between work and taking care of their kids — or worse yet, using an iPad as a babysitter.
“Our after-school expansion will also see us raise the provider rates for the non-profit workforce that takes care of our children every day, and who have gone over 10 years without a pay increase. It means life will become more affordable for not only families, but also those caring for our children.”
Instead, children from working-class families will now have a spot in after-school programs where they can learn and thrive. These 5,000 new after-school seats mark the first phase of our commitment to allocate an additional $331 million for 20,000 new after-school seats over the next three school years. It will bring the annual budget for universal after-school programs to $755 million, baselined by Fiscal Year 2028. Baselined means the money will be allocated to the budget permanently, as we increase the number of students in after-school programming to 184,000 across our city. That is 184,000 students who will be able to participate in sports, robotics, the arts, field trips, and more, discovering their passions and building relationships with their classmates. At the same time, their parents know they are in a safe, learning environment.
Our after-school expansion will also see us raise the provider rates for the non-profit workforce that takes care of our children every day, and who have gone over 10 years without a pay increase. It means life will become more affordable for not only families, but also those caring for our children.
This work builds on our historic investments in young people, including significant funding for Summer Youth Employment and Summer Rising, as well as increased and baselined funding for 3-K and special education pre-K. Our administration has also reduced the cost of subsidized child care by over 90% since taking office. Thanks to our efforts, a family earning $55,000 a year went from spending $55 a week on childcare in 2022 to just $4.80 a week today.
Additionally, we have introduced a historic child care pilot for children 2 years old and younger, which puts New York City on the path to universal childcare for low-income families, if the pilot is successful.
New York City must be a place where working-class families can afford to live. I know the struggle is real. My mother juggled three jobs just to put food on the table for her six children. Universal after-school programs and universal child care for low-income families are essential to ensuring that every child and every family has the opportunity to thrive in the world’s greatest city. It takes a town to raise a child, and with universal after-school programming, we are ensuring New York City is the best place to raise a family.
