City Resources for Asylum Seekers

All immigrants can get medical care in New York City, regardless of immigration status or ability to pay. You can get low-cost medical care, with or without insurance, through NYC Health + Hospitals (H+H). H+H can provide emergency care, basic health care, check-ups, immunizations, and more for people of all ages. For all NYC Health + Hospitals, please call (718) 387-6407 to be directed to the center nearest to you.

Find locations that offer free food (food pantry and soup kitchens) by visiting Food Help NYC.

In NYC, your child has a right to K-12 education, regardless of immigration status. Family Welcome Centers serve NYC families all year round with enrollment and admissions. For support, please visit one of the back-to-school sites below, Monday through Thursday, 8am – 5pm, and on Friday, 8am - 3pm. For more information visit the enrollment page on the NYC Schools website.

Family Welcome Center Locations

Districts Served	Family Welcome Center Location
Bronx
Serving Districts 7, 9, 10	Fordham Family Welcome Center 1 Fordham Plaza 7th Floor Bronx, NY 10458 Email: FordhamFWC@schools.nyc.gov Phone: 718-329-8050 Director: Antoinette Mitchell
Serving District 7	District 7 Resource Center 501 Courtlandt Avenue Room 106 Bronx, NY 10451 Supervisor: Nyeema Byrnes James
Serving Districts 8, 11, 12	Zerega Family Welcome Center 1230 Zerega Avenue Room 24 Bronx, NY 10462 Email: ZeregaFWC@schools.nyc.gov Phone: 718-828-7546 Director: Stefania Zivan Skintej
Brooklyn
Serving Districts 13, 14, 15, 16	Park Place Family Welcome Center* 355 Park Place Brooklyn, NY 11238 Email: ParkPlaceFWC@schools.nyc.gov Phone: 718-623-5069 Director: Desiree Sandoval
Serving Districts 19, 23, 32	St. Marks Family Welcome Center 1665 St. Marks Place Room 116 Brooklyn, NY 11233 Email: StMarksFWC@schools.nyc.gov Phone: 718-240-3598 Director: Khalish Gabriel
Serving Districts 17, 18, 22	Ocean Family Welcome Center 1780 Ocean Avenue 3rd Floor Brooklyn, NY 11230 Email: OceanFWC@schools.nyc.gov Phone: 718-758-7744 Director: Elisha Carlos
Serving Districts 20, 21	89th Street Family Welcome Center 415 89th Street 5th Floor Brooklyn, NY 11209 Email: 89thFWC@schools.nyc.gov Phone: 718-759-3900 Director: Stamatis Chasabenis
Manhattan
Serving Districts 1, 2, 4	333 7th Avenue Family Welcome Center 333 Seventh Avenue 12th Floor Room 1211 New York, NY 10001 Email: 333FWC@schools.nyc.gov Phone: 917-339-1763 Director: Vanessa Rivera
Serving District 1	District 1 Family Resource Center 166 Essex Street New York, NY 10002 Contact: See 333 Seventh Avenue
Serving Districts 3, 5, 6	123 Morningside Family Welcome Center 123 Morningside Drive Street Room 235 New York, NY 10007 Email: 125FWC@schools.nyc.gov Phone: 212-342-8301 Director: Sarah Maiolo
Serving District 6	George Washington Educational Campus - Satellite Site 549 Audubon Avenue New York, NY 10040 Supervisor: Nyeema Byrnes James
Queens
Serving Districts 27, 28, 29	Sutphin Family Welcome Center 90-27 Sutphin Boulevard 1st Floor Jamaica, NY 11435 Email: SutphinFWC@schools.nyc.gov Phone: 718-557-2786 Director: Stewart Jamieson
Serving Districts 25, 26	Linden Family Welcome Center 30-48 Linden Place 2nd Floor Flushing, NY 11354 Email: LindenFWC@schools.nyc.gov Phone: 718-281-3452 Director: Kimberly Castrill
Serving Districts 24, 30	Queens Plaza North Family Welcome Center 28-11 Queens Plaza North 3rd Floor Flushing, NY 11354 Email: QueensPlazaNFWC@schools.nyc.gov Phone: 718-391-6270 Director: Katia Gil
Serving District 31	Petrides Family Welcome Center 715 Ocean Terrace Building A Staten Island, NY 10301 Email: PetridesFWC@schools.nyc.gov Phone: 718-420-5654 Director: Paul Helfman

*Please Note: Our Park Place Family Welcome Center is not yet fully accessible.

For students and guardians who have physical accessibility needs, there are two options. You can either Request remote support or

Schedule an in-person appointment at the following alternate location: P.S. 009K, 80 Underhill Avenue, Room 134, Brooklyn, NY 11238.

To make a remote or in-person appointment at the alternate location, call 718-623-5069 or email ParkPlaceFWC@schools.nyc.gov.

Additionally, please note that the accessible entrance to P.S. 009K is not the same as the main entrance; the accessible entrance is located on Bergen Street.

New York City offers free and affordable child care through these organizations:

• Administration for Children's Services (ACS)
• New York City Public Schools (NYCPS)
• Head Start and Early Head Start

Please Note: Some of the child care options below require the child(ren) to have a satisfactory immigration status and must include copies of immigration documents as part of the application. All NYC child care providers require children to receive certain vaccinations.

Administration for Children's Services (ACS)

ACS offers low-income vouchers that can be used to cover the cost of child care at a provider of the family's choice. Vouchers may also be used to pay approved relatives, neighbors, or friends for care. These providers serve:

• Children six weeks to 13 years old (or to 19 years old for children with disabilities).
• Available year-round, and up to 24 hours a day.
• Eligibility is based on the family's income and an approved reason for needing child care (see below for more details).
• Each child in need of child care must have a required immigration status to qualify.
• Families should apply through MyCity (NYC.GOV/ChildCare).

New York City Public Schools (NYCPS)

NYCPS' Birth-Five Programs are offered in a variety of settings including center-based (NYC Early Education Centers or NYCEECs), home-based (Family Child Care or FCCs), and school based (District schools and PreK centers).

1. Infant and Toddler Extended Day and Year
   • Free or low-cost child care for children six weeks to three-years-old (who are not yet age-eligible for 3K).
   • Programs run up to 10 hours per day, year-round.
   • Eligibility is based on the family's income and an approved reason for needing child care (see below for more details).
   • Each child in need of child care must have a required immigration status to qualify.
   • Families should apply through MyCity (NYC.GOV/ChildCare) or find a program through NYC MySchools and contact them directly for help applying.


2. 3-K and Pre-K (pre-kindergarten) Extended Day and Year
   • Free or low-cost child care is available in the calendar year the child turns three or four years old.
   • Programs run up to 10 hours per day, year-round.
   • Eligibility is based on the family's income and an approved reason for needing child care (see below for more details).
   • Each child in need of child care must have a required immigration status to qualify.
   • Families should apply through MyCity (NYC.GOV/ChildCare) or find a program through NYC MySchools and contact them directly for help applying.


3. 3-K and Pre-K (pre-kindergarten) School Day and Year
   • Free child care that is available in the calendar year the child turns three or four years old.
   • Programs run up to 6 hours and 20 minutes per day, September to June.
   • A child/children can enroll regardless of their immigration status.
   • Families should apply through NYC MySchools.

Early Head Start and Head Start

Early Head Start and Head Start providers offer free learning and social/emotional development services to children ages birth to age five. Additionally, some providers offer services for pregnant parents.

Eligibility criteria for children includes:

• Children from low-income families or
• Children living in temporary housing or
• Children in foster care or
• Children from families receiving public assistance (TANF, SSI, or SNAP)

A child/children can enroll regardless of their immigration status.

Some Early Head Start and Head Start providers are affiliated with NYC Public Schools and these providers only serve children ages 2-5 years old in centers only.

Find all of New York City's Early Head Start or Head Start Program by visiting the Office of Head Start website and then contact a program directly to apply.

Important for Parents

Applying for these types of childcares will not have an impact on any pending immigration applications (resident alien, asylum, citizenship, etc.). Parents will NOT be asked for immigration status for themselves or anyone else in the household other than the child(ren) in need of childcare.

For the types of childcares that require satisfactory immigration status, each child needing childcare, a copy of one of the following is required as proof of immigration status: US Birth Certificate, US Passport Form, Naturalization Certificate, Alien Registration Card including Permanent Resident or Green Card, FS-240 (Report of Birth Abroad of U.S. Citizen), or any other authoritative document demonstrating immigration status.

Childcare programs enrolling children who are homeless or living in temporary housing, including families arriving from another state or country, should allow those children to attend for up to 30 days while their families work to obtain documentation of immunization or if the child has received at least the first dose in the required immunization series. To help a family find a medical provider or learn more about New York City's vaccination requirements visit nyc.gov/health or call 311. Immunization appointments for children of all ages can be scheduled through NYC H+H by calling 844-NYC-4NYC or nyc.gov/hhc, for children ages 4 and older through the Department of Health here, and parents can locate a federally-qualified health center in NYC here.

Early childhood education programs contracted with NYC Public Schools should refer to the birth-to-five handbook for additional guidance on supporting families in temporary housing in meeting vaccination requirements. Center-based programs or Home-based providers that are licensed by NYC Department of Health or New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) to provide child care must be approved by ACS in order to enroll children with a voucher. Informal providers (friend, relative, or neighbor) must be approved to provide subsidized in-home or family child care in a residence. Informal providers must also register with ACS to enroll children with a voucher. More information about the application and approval process can be found here.

	ACS Low Income Vouchers	NYC Public Schools: 3-K and Pre-K School Day and Year	NYC Public Schools: Infant, Toddler, and 3-K and Pre-K Extended Day and Year	Early Head Start and Head Start
What age children can enroll?	Six weeks to thirteen years old (up to 19 for children with special needs)	Children turning three (for 3-K) or four (Pre-K) by December 31st	Children six weeks to five years old	Early Head Start: Birth through three years old. Some providers support pregnant parents. Head Start: three to five years old NYCPS providers serve two to five years
What immigration status is needed to attend?	Children must have documentation of satisfactory immigration status	No immigration status required	Children must have documentation of satisfactory immigration status	No immigration status required
Where are the providers located?	Center-based, family child care (home based), or an approved family and friend that accepts vouchers.	Center based, family child-care, and school-based (District schools and Pre-K Centers)	Center based, family child-care, and school-based (District schools and Pre-K Centers)	Center based organizations or family child care. NYCPS programs center-based only.
When is this provider available?	Full year	Follows the public-school calendar (September – June)	Full year	Full year
What are the hours of operation?	Hours vary based on setting and can include non-traditional hours.	School day schedule (8am to 3pm), Monday - Friday	Typical hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday - Friday	Typical hours are 8 hours per day, Monday - Friday
How can families apply?	NYC.gov/ChildCare	MySchools.nyc	MySchools.nyc and contact a provider to apply OR apply at NYC.gov/ChildCare	Office of Head Start Or visit MySchools.nyc to find providers affiliated with NYCPS and contact them to apply.