NYC Council caucus accuses Administrator Adams of ‘undermining success’ of free early childhood education

New York City Council members accuse the Adams administration of “undermining the success” of the city’s free early childhood programs.

A group of Blacks, Hispanics and Asians wrote a letter to Mayor Adams Tuesday night expressing “deep concern about the state of early childhood and education in our city.” It was signed by 31 members of the faction – the majority in the council.

“We share much of your vision that you previously outlined in the Child Care and Early Childhood Plan,” the memo reads, “however, the current management of these programs by city agencies undermines success, including overly bureaucratic contracting processes, heavily overdue payments under contract and insufficient enrollment and outreach efforts.”

The letter comes a couple of weeks after the council, during an oversight hearing, pointed the finger at the administration for not doing enough to get parents involved in the programs given the huge demand for childcare services but the thousands of stubbornly empty places in preschools. .

According to the city, there are currently about 16,000 vacancies in preschools for three-year-olds.

Caucus has proposed several reforms, including better reimbursement systems to pay contracted childcare providers on time, and expanded programs offering extended hours and summer days that fit working parents’ schedules.

Members also suggested that the city’s registration practice be revised by placing more responsibilities on small businesses so that their directors can recruit and register families in their area locally. Currently, enrollment is through the Department of Education, the providers explained. The proposed changes will focus on translating outreach campaigns to complement these efforts.

“We know that Black, Hispanic and Asian children stand to lose the most if these agency issues are not resolved and the proposed withdrawal of investment in the system occurs,” wrote the signatories, including Co-Chairs Kevin Riley and Oswald Feliz, and Chairman Rita Education Committee. Joseph.

Council Member Oswald Feliz

Joseph called on the Department of Education to support an awareness campaign that “reflects the successful UPK campaign.” [universal pre-kindergarten] expansion” under the last administration.

“You saw them everywhere,” a council member said of the agency’s outreach workers. “They settled, they appeared. And at some point they started to roll back and slow down.”

“Our communities are underserved right now,” she added. “There are a lot of waiting lists, and the programs are in the wrong place.”

An external assessment of families’ childcare needs is ongoing, although education officials have not disclosed who is conducting the audit or how much it will cost.

Council Member Rita Joseph

“Mayor Adams has placed working families and ordinary New Yorkers at the center of this administration’s policy decisions,” said Amaris Cockfield, a spokesman for the mayor. “Since the beginning of this administration, we have invested in a number of programs to both our recovery from the pandemic and a new vision for public schools, while prioritizing the most vulnerable groups of students.”

Cockfield pointed to various initiatives to support non-profits contracting with the city, including the city’s newly created Office of Non-Profit Services, a contract oversight initiative called “ContractStat” and a recent 12-week effort to address accumulated refund backlogs.

“We appreciate City Council’s attention to these important initiatives,” she added, “and look forward to finding ways to support and grow our work to lift our students and schools in the budget process.”

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