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Community Op-ED NOVEMBER 07, 2025 | The Indian Eye 12

Moving Closer to Affordable Child

Care for NYC Families

The Municipal Child Care Pilot Program builds on the work we have already done to help put more money back into the pockets of municipal
employees and make child care more affordable for all New Yorkers (File photo)

child care for employees of the De- ing mothers. supporting pre-K special education
partment of Citywide Administrative We know that when mothers students who require occupational
Services — right where they work. leave the workforce to care for a therapy, speech therapy, and other
We are achieving this by turning un- child, they forgo $145,000 in earn- related services.
derutilized city-owned space into on- ings throughout their lifetime on av- We have also worked to make
site, free child care centers for our erage. If parents are forced to leave child care funding permanent in our
workers. So even as they are doing the workforce, families struggle, and city budget by adding $170 million
their own jobs, city employees will our economy is weakened. I saw more into early childhood education.
know that their children are nearby, the struggle first-hand: my moth- This allows critical programs like
ERIC ADAMS well looked after, and safe. The pro- er couldn’t afford child care even pre-K special education and the ex-
gram will begin in September 2026, though she worked three jobs just to pansion of our citywide 3-K program
and — along with another $10-mil- put food on the table for her six kids to be supported into the future.
ur city’s child care costs rank lion investment we made in a ground- and keep a roof over our heads. So, Additionally, we have driven
among the highest in the
Onation, so every New York- breaking pilot program to provide my sister had to help raise me and down the cost of subsidized child care
by over 90 percent since we came into
my siblings because the city was not
free child care for children from
er knows a family member, a friend, low-income families aged two and there to help us when we needed it. office. Thanks to our efforts, a fami-
or a colleague who has struggled to under — more quickly puts our city I am proud to say that our Mu- ly earning $55,000 a year went from
afford child care. From the earliest on the path to universal child care. nicipal Child Care Pilot Program spending $55 a week on child care
days of our administration, we have City employees are the engine builds on the work we have already in 2022 to just $4.80 a week today.
made affordable child care a priority that keeps our city moving: cleaning done to help put more money back In New York, we know it takes a
and have said again and again that our streets, teaching our children, into the pockets of municipal em- city to raise a child, and with these
working-class New York City families and keeping us safe. With this pro- ployees and make child care more investments we are not only making
should not have to choose between gram, we are giving back to some of affordable for all New Yorkers. our city more affordable but making
child care and putting food on the table. these New Yorkers who do so much This work includes wiping out it the best place to find opportunity,
Now, we are making our city
$360 million in student loan debt for
more family friendly by launching for us. This $10-million investment 100,000 of our hard-working public raise a family, and live the Ameri-
also means city employees can have
can Dream.
New York City’s first-ever Munic- work-family balance, making a cru- servants, and investing $70 million
ipal Child Care Pilot Program. The cial difference — especially for work- in our “Best Budget Ever” towards Eric Adams is the Mayor of
program will provide affordable New York City, NY

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