Basic HTML Version

|  | Table of Contents |  | View Full Version

Page 14 - The Indian EYE 051526
P. 14

    North                       The Indian Eye

                              AMERICANNewsline

             14                                                                                                                   MAY 15, 2026

                      New York Expands Child Care

            Recognition into Monthlong Tribute

               Move seen as part of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s broader push for universal child care
                                                     and stronger support for educators

            OUR BUREAU                                                                                            hood  Education  and  Deputy  Mayor
                                                                                                                  for Economic Justice Julie Su hosted a
            New York, NY
                                                                                                                  roundtable discussion with child care
                  ohran  Kwame  Mamdani  has                                                                      program  leaders.  Officials  said  the
                  announced  that  New  York                                                                      meeting focused on identifying ways
            ZCity  will  officially  recognize                                                                    to  strengthen  the  child  care  system
            May  as  “Child  Care  Educator  Ap-                                                                  and  improve  support  for  providers.
            preciation  Month,”  expanding  the                                                                       The  recognition  campaign  also
            national Provider Appreciation Day                                                                    comes  amid  a  broader  policy  push
            into a monthlong initiative aimed at                                                                  by  the  Mamdani  administration  to
            honoring  child  care  workers  across                                                                expand  access  to  publicly  supported
            the city’s five boroughs.                                                                             child  care  programs.  Shortly  after
                The  announcement  places  re-                                                                    taking  office,  Mamdani  announced
            newed focus on the role of child care                                                                 a  partnership  with  Kathy  Hochul  to
            educators in supporting working fam-                                                                  fully fund the city’s 3-K program and
            ilies and advancing the city’s broader                                                                launch a new 2-K initiative for young-
            ambitions  for  universal  child  care.                                                               er children.
            City officials said the initiative is de-                                                                 Since  then,  the  administration
            signed not only to celebrate educators                                                                has expanded 3-K access to 56 addi-
            but  also  to  acknowledge  long-stand-                                                               tional zip codes and identified the first
            ing  concerns  about  low  pay,  lack  of                                                             four  communities  that  will  receive
            recognition, and limited involvement                                                                  2-K  seats.  City  officials  say  the  mea-
            in policymaking.                  each day, enabling parents to remain   tance of early childhood education in   sures are intended to move New York
               “There is no child care without our   in the workforce.          shaping  a  child’s  future  long  before   closer to a universal child care system
            child  care  educators,”  Mayor  Mam-  Emmy Liss, executive director of   formal schooling begins.    while reducing financial pressures on
            dani  said  while  announcing  the  ini-  the Mayor’s Office of Child Care and   “The earliest years of a child’s life   working families.
            tiative. He added that educators have   Early Childhood Education, described   are the most formative,” Samuels said,   At the end of April, the city also
            “been  pushed  aside  and  taken  for   the  recognition  as  overdue  acknowl-  adding that early educators help build   opened  applications  for  “The  Little
            granted” for too long and argued that   edgment  for  a  workforce  that  has   the  foundation  upon  which  future   Apple,” described by officials as New
            meaningful  universal  child  care  can-  shaped  generations  of  New  Yorkers.  learning  depends.  He  praised  child   York  City’s  first  free  child  care  pilot
            not be achieved without giving provid-  “Every  day,  like  many  parents   care  workers  for  nurturing  children   program for municipal workers.
            ers a greater role in shaping the system.  across the city, I leave my children in   before  they  enter  kindergarten  and   The  monthlong  appreciation  ini-
                The  mayor  said  the  month-  the loving and capable hands of early   said the city wanted to show apprecia-  tiative reflects an increasing national
            long  recognition  is  only  the  begin-  childhood educators,” Liss said. She   tion “in May, and every day.”  conversation around the value of child
            ning  of  a  wider  effort  to  ensure   noted that despite their influence on   As part of the initiative, New York   care labor, particularly after the pan-
            that  child  care  educators  receive   children’s  development  and  family   City has released a video highlighting   demic exposed the sector’s economic
            “the  respect  and  compensation   stability,  child  care  educators  have   the work of child care educators and   importance and staffing challenges. In
            their   essential   labor   deserves.”  historically received “far too little for-  their  contributions  to  families  and   New York City, officials are framing
                The  initiative  shines  a  spotlight   mal recognition.”       communities. The administration also   the  effort  as  both  symbolic  recogni-
            on  more  than  10,000  licensed  child   Liss  said  the  Mamdani  adminis-  plans a series of events throughout the   tion and part of a larger restructuring
            care programs operating across New   tration  intends  to  combine  symbolic   month, including a child care educator   of early childhood education policy.
            York City. According to city officials,   recognition  with  policies  focused  on   appreciation  dinner  at  Gracie  Man-  For  the  Mamdani  administra-
            most  of  these  programs  are  small   “economic justice” for the workforce,  sion, visits by city officials to child care   tion, the message is clear: any future
            businesses run and staffed by women   arguing  that  long-term  sustainability   centers, and a provider listening tour   vision of universal child care will de-
            of color, forming a critical but often   of the child care system depends on   aimed at gathering feedback directly   pend not only on expanding seats and
            underappreciated  backbone  of  the   improving conditions for educators.  from educators and program leaders.  programs,  but  also  on  elevating  the
            city’s  economy.  Providers  care  for   Kamar Samuels, the city’s schools   Earlier  this  week,  the  Mayor’s   educators who keep the system func-
            hundreds  of  thousands  of  children   chancellor,  emphasized  the  impor-  Office of Child Care and Early Child-  tioning every day.

                                                                   www.TheIndianEYE.com

| 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 |