Year: 2023

NEW YORK (TIP) : NYC Council Members Jennifer Gutiérrez and Kevin Riley are introducing on March 2, comprehensive legislation to create free Universal Child Care in New York City. The bill, Intro 941, which has been in formation for nearly a year, was crafted in careful consultation with advocates, providers, and other stakeholders, and informed by child care programs in cities and countries around the world. The legislation goes beyond proposing a slate of fixes to an inherently broken system, to fully reimagine child care in New York City and create equal access and equity for all.
The need for Universal Child Care is significant: with average annual costs between $10,000 and $20,000 for home- and center-based care, respectively, the affordability crisis for parents has reached new heights. Simultaneously, child care providers, who are predominantly women of color and immigrants, are in the bottom 3% of earners in NYC, and their employers are often forced to take out loans to keep facilities afloat. The bill’s comprehensive plan looks to both ease the financial and logistical burden on families accessing childcare, as well as support and expand the early childcare workforce. The bill will provide free, high-quality, and accessible child care for children from 6 weeks to 5 years of age, expand hours and days of operation, and include access for undocumented children. The bill strengthens the provider pipeline, ensures pay parity, and creates opportunities for small business ownership, as well as building a healthier streetscape by creating a pathway for thousands of vacant commercial and community spaces to be converted into childcare locations.
The bill, which was partially inspired by Council Member Gutiérrez’s own challenges with accessing child care, is being introduced to the first women-majority Council, with the most new mothers in the history of the legislative body. Universal Child Care has long been championed by NYC Mayors, Comptrollers, and other elected officials, but this is the first legislation of its kind that also outlines a path to implementation. Mayor Eric Adams’ recently released Blueprint for Child Care and Early Childhood Education estimated that the lack of Universal Child Care results in an annual loss to New York City of $23 billion in economic output and $2.2 billion in tax revenue.
“Parents are constantly forced to choose between caring for their children or chasing professional success, while child care providers are forced to choose between keeping their doors open or paying their staff. Our child care system is fundamentally broken, and as a working mom who spent months navigating it, I know firsthand how difficult it is to find quality, affordable child care,” said Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez. “With the introduction of this bill, we are fully re-envisioning the economy of care in our city – redefining what it means to care for our children, our parents and families, our providers and educators, and ensuring that no one has to make these impossible choices again. Universal Child Care will fundamentally change hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers’ lives. We simply cannot afford not to do this.”
“Universal Child Care means expanding quality and equitable access to childcare that supports all New York families across this City,” said Council Member Kevin C. Riley. “It is an honor to partner with my colleague, Council Member Gutiérrez, in championing this historic piece of legislation that seeks to transform our City’s child care system and address the need for free reliable service that families rely on. With a truly comprehensive approach, this bill would also provide a sustainable plan to amend our infrastructure, improving support for child care providers through training, resources and a fair pay rate that allows them to continue their essential work. While New Yorkers are still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and combating the overwhelming effects of current inflation , I urge support for this Universal Child Care bill that will bring equitable services to all and aid in rebuilding our City through economic development and increased employment opportunities.”
“Our child care system is broken, putting far too much pressure on working mothers and child care providers, who are mainly women of color and immigrants. That’s why I’ve long been fighting for policies that achieve affordable child care for all on the federal level,” said Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez. “This comprehensive bill will help ensure that every New Yorker has access to free high-quality child care and that workers in this industry are fairly compensated. I’m proud to support this legislation, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to achieve the goal of Universal Child Care in New York City.”
“The time and cost of child care forces New York families to choose between caring for their children and working to provide for them. Universal child care would provide the needed support so that working parents can be confident their children are safe, taken care of, and gaining invaluable early education experience. This legislation lays out a roadmap towards giving all New York families access to the care our youngest New Yorkers deserve,” said Comptroller Brad Lander.
“This is the real impact of having parents of young children in the rooms where policy is made. While I continue my efforts to expand eligibility for child care in the state budget, I’m grateful that Councilmember Gutiérrez is pushing for vital and wildly popular universal child care infrastructure,” said New York State Senator Jessica Ramos.
“In every New York City neighborhood, parents and caregivers count on high-quality early childhood care and education programs so that their children may prepare for kindergarten and parents can work. And too many families are struggling to find child care that meets their needs. The Day Care Council of New York applauds Councilmember Jennifer Gutiérrez and her colleagues in the City Council for their work to build a City where all children have access to quality childcare and a strong start to their educational journeys. DCCNY looks forward to working with the City Council to ensure that the City supports the community based organizations and home based providers offering child care and early childhood education services by investing in the early childhood workforce, stabilizing budgets for early childhood providers and paying child care providers on time, and reducing barriers facing parents looking for child care,” said Gregory Brender, Director of Public Policy at Day Care Council of New York.
“This monumental legislation recognizes the critical, yet often overlooked, work of family child care educators who care for more than half of New York City’s infants and toddlers in subsidized care,” said Steven Morales, NY Policy Director at All Our Kin. “If we want stability for our families and our economy, the City must ensure that all children have access to high-quality child care provided by educators who are compensated fairly for their expertise. All Our Kin thanks Councilmembers Gutierrez and Riley for their leadership and we look forward to working with the Council to make universal child care in New York City a reality.”
“NYC is facing a major affordability crisis, and nowhere is that more obvious than in the cost of child care,” said Liza Schwartzwald, Senior Manager of Economic Justice and Family Empowerment at The New York Immigration Coalition. “While programs like Promise NYC have made some strides in expanding access to child care subsidies for immigrant families, there is still much more to be done. The Universal Child Care Act is a big step in the right direction. It is time for the City to ensure that all families have access to safe, affordable child care.”