Mayor Adams, Chancellor Aviles-Ramos Announce Increased Outreach Efforts to Support Families in Accessing Early Childhood Education Opportunities, Reach Tentative Agreement to Sustain Operations of 5 Community-Based Early Childhood Education Centers

February 14, 2025

Part of Administration and City Council's Historic $100 Million Plan, Effort Focuses on Outreach to Communities with Historically-Low Application Rates for Early Childhood Education Programs

Adams Administration Has Served Record 150,000 Children Across City, Reduced Out-of-Pocket Costs for Subsidized Child Care for Families by More Than Ten-Fold

Agreements Follow Expeditious Negotiations Between City of New York, Private Landlords, and Child Care Providers on Leases That Were Facing Expired or Expiring Lease Dates and Increasing Rents to an Average of $1 Million a Year All Five Centers Now Available on MySchools to Receive Applications

New York – New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Public Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos have launched a joint effort to expand access to high-quality early childhood education programs for families across the city. As part of the Fiscal Year 2025 Adopted Budget, Mayor Adams and the New York City Council agreed to a historic 10-point plan to make high-quality child care more affordable and accessible for all New York families, including through $5 million in funding for a targeted outreach effort to support families in communities that have traditionally seen low application rates, despite demonstrating need.

Mayor Adams and Chancellor Aviles-Ramos also announced the city has reached tentative agreements with five community-based early childhood education centers to negotiate leases that were set to or near expiration. The agreement to continue lease agreements comes after the Adams administration engaged in positive conversations with stakeholders, including the landlords and providers of the sites, parents, elected officials, and other community members.

The five early childhood education centers include:

• All My Children Day Care and Nursery School, Queens
• Fort Greene Council Young Minds Day Care, Brooklyn
• Friends of Crown Heights Educational Center, Inc., Brooklyn
• Grand Street Settlement, Brooklyn
• Nuestros Ninos Day Care Center in Williamsburg, Brooklyn

"For too long, families have faced challenges accessing early education programs due to mismatched seats and gaps in funding caused by building a system that was propped up on temporary stimulus dollars. Our administration is doing the work of developing a sustainable early childhood education system that meets the needs of New York City families, especially working-class parents, who often do not have the resources they need to access these opportunities," said Mayor Adams. "We have heard the concerns of parents, community partners, and elected officials, which is why we have met with all five programs facing lease expirations and with the respective local elected officials to create a collective plan that will offer them the opportunity to operate for the upcoming school year. Although details are still being finalized, we are proud to announce that we are headed toward a positive outcome, and by working closely with all stakeholders we are confident all different parties will have an agreed-upon path forward to share in the coming days that benefits families. We continue to work closely with the City Council to secure the resources necessary to ensure no family is left behind. Together, we're delivering on our promise to make sure every family who wants a seat will have access to one, that child care is more affordable and accessible, that we are serving our most vulnerable families, and that we are making New York City the best place to raise a family."

"Every child deserves a strong start, and these efforts ensure families have the resources they need to take the first step," said Public Schools Chancellor Aviles-Ramos. "Through collaboration with the City Council, we're reaching families where they are and ensuring equitable access to programs that set our youngest learners on a path to success."

Targeted Email Campaigns

New York City Public Schools is spearheading robust efforts to ensure families are informed, supported, and empowered to apply for early childhood education by taking the following actions:

• Nearly 100,000 families have been engaged through email communications, providing critical information about application processes, program options, and deadlines.
• Families who started applications but have not submitted them are receiving step-by-step instructions to complete the process.
• Spotlight emails highlight program options, including dual language and disabilities-inclusive offerings, income-eligible seats, and general program details.
• MySchools instructional emails guide families on how to use filters to find newly added programs.
• Families with infants, toddlers, and three-year olds currently enrolled in early childhood programming are reminded to apply, ensuring continuity in their child's education journey.

In-Person and Virtual Information Sessions

• Families have access to detailed admissions explanations, application guidance, and live Q&A sessions. These sessions are interpreted in the nine most common primary languages spoken in New York City, ensuring accessibility for all communities.
• Starting tomorrow, Saturday, February 15, 2025, the Adams administration will host a series of five events – one in each borough – in communities that have historically low application rates to boost access where it's needed most. New York City Public Schools officials will provide resources and help families to apply directly on-site.

Community Engagement and Partner Support

• New York City Public Schools' "train the trainer" events equip community partners, city agencies, and libraries to assist families with the application process.
• A digital toolkit has been shared with community partners to amplify outreach efforts.
• Application sprints across the city and "Day of Action" events with supportive housing teams will provide direct, hands-on support to families applying for early education programs.
• As part of the administration and city council's $5 million investment last summer, the administration is funding 21 organizations to help families find, apply, and enroll in child care seats across New York City Public Schools' early childhood system.
• Phone call and texting campaigns to families who have not yet applied, led by the Mayor's Public Engagement Unit, have already resulted in calls to 16,000 families asking if they need child care.

Social Media and Digital Outreach

• New York City Public Schools is leading a robust social media campaign to raise awareness, share key deadlines, and provide program highlights.

This outreach effort builds on the work the Adams administration has done to dramatically increase early childhood education and build a sustainable program where demand matches supply. Thanks to these efforts, a record 150,000 children are enrolled across the system today, the out-of-pocket costs of child care subsidies have been reduced from $55 per week in 2022 to $5 per week today, and the Adams administration met its commitment to offer a seat to every child who applied for 3-K on time – the first time this has ever been done in the city's history. The administration also invested $514 million to protect programs that were previously only temporarily funded with federal stimulus dollars.

"Reaching a tentative agreement to keep these five early childhood education sites open is a critical step forward for our children, families, and communities," said New York City Councilmember Rita Joseph. "This agreement is a testament to the tireless advocacy of early childhood providers, community-based organizations, and families. As Chair of the Committee on Education, I remain deeply committed to addressing the root causes of these crises so that no family has to experience this uncertainty again; alongside the leadership of Speaker Adams, we are making early childhood education a top priority in the City Council–not just in moments of crisis, but through long-term, sustainable solutions. To truly support our youngest learners, we must take a holistic approach, ensuring fair funding, strengthening provider support, and increasing transparency so that our early childhood system is stable and accessible to all. I remain committed to prioritizing and expanding these vital programs because every child in New York City deserves a strong foundation for their future."

"Thanks to the tireless advocacy of impacted residents across Brooklyn, the Fort Greene Council site in my district, along with the other four early childhood education sites, will remain open for at least one more year and provide high-quality early childhood education to our youngest residents," said New York City Council Member Crystal Hudson. "I applaud the New York City Department of Education for coming to the table and working in earnest to save these beloved sites. We must continue to support existing child care centers so our city can live up to its promise to provide high quality early childhood education for all who need it. I will be working hand in hand with the New York City Department of Education and Fort Greene Council over the next twelve months to ensure their presence remains in our community for years to come, beyond this one-year extension."