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    NORTH AMERICAN Newsline                                             OCTOBER 31, 2025       |  The Indian Eye 16

                     Mayor Adams Launches of Child Care Pilot for

            children of DCAS Employees as young as six weeks old

                         Municipal Child Care Pilot Leverages Underutilized City-Owned Space

                                               to Operate On-Site, Affordable Child Care

            OUR BUREAU
            NEW YORK, NY
                   ew York City Mayor Eric
                   Adams and New York City
            NDepartment of Citywide Ad-
            ministrative Services (DCAS) Com-
            missioner Louis A. Molina has an-
            nounced $10 million to launch the
            city’s first-ever Municipal Child Care
            Pilot  Program, which  will  provide
            on-site and affordable child care to
            DCAS employees with children as
            young as six weeks old beginning in
            September 2026. Today’s investment
            builds on the Adams administration’s
            efforts to improve municipal employ-
            ee retention, ensure the City of New
            York remains a competitive employ-
            er  of  choice,  increase  flexibility  for
            working families, and make the city
            more affordable for public servants.
                “Making New York City the best
            place  to  raise  a  family  means  that
            families shouldn’t have to live in fear
            that paying for child care will break
            their bank. Families deserve better,
            and, once again, our administration
            is delivering for them,” said Mayor   “At DCAS, we recognize that af-  project completion anticipated  by   our workforce. We look forward to
            Adams.  “Today,  we’re  making  our   fordable child care is not only a fam-  spring 2026. The high-quality, af-  working with DCAS and our munic-
            city more family friendly by launch-  ily issue; it’s also a workforce issue,   fordable program will be operated   ipal unions to pilot worksite day care
            ing  New  York  City’s  first-ever  Mu-  a quality-of-life issue, and an earning   by a contracted child care provider   for our employees.”
            nicipal Child Care Pilot Program,   potential and professional develop-  to cater to DCAS employees with   “Affordable, high-quality child
            which will provide on-site, affordable   ment issue — and these are all issues   pre-school aged children as young as   care is essential for working families,
            child care for free to some of the   we cannot afford to ignore,” said   six weeks who are currently working   including our city’s own workforce,”
            public servants who are serving their   DCAS Commissioner Molina. “With   at the David N. Dinkins Municipal   said New York City Councilmember
            fellow New Yorkers. By turning un-  this solution-oriented pilot, we’re   Building.                   Gale A. Brewer. “This pilot will help
            derutilized, city-owned space into a   leveraging underutilized space to   Accordingly, DCAS will be issu-  retain and recruit talented municipal
            child care centers, we’re giving back   invest in our workforce. More than   ing a Demonstration Project solicita-  employees and strengthen the city’s
            to the workers who give so much to   that, we’re ensuring that the City of   tion for proposals from qualified ven-  commitment to equity and family
            our city. This bold investment de-  New York remains an attractive em-  dors. Eligibility criteria for the pilot,   well-being. I look forward to seeing
            livers both peace of mind and will   ployer for those willing to dedicate   including the participating age range,   the program grow.”
            put money back into the pockets of   their lives to public service.”   is being developed in conjunction   “We hear from our members
            working-class New Yorkers.”           The site for the child care pilot   with  the  Office  of  Labor  Relations   time and again that paying for quali-
                “City employees should not have   will  be  located  on  the  ground  floor   and city unions. The Municipal Child   ty child care is one of the top barriers
            to choose between their commitment   of the David N. Dinkins Municipal   Care  Pilot  Program  will  be  closely   to living and working in New York
            to public service and their commit-  Building, North Tower in Lower   evaluated to determine if expanding   City, which is why we established a
            ment to parenthood,” said Deputy   Manhattan ― DCAS’s headquarters   the program to additional locations   Child Care Trust in the last collective
            Mayor for Administration and Chief   and a central hub of city government   is feasible.              bargaining agreement,” said Henry
            of Staff Camille Joseph Varlack. “At   operations. The estimated $10 mil-  “We know how vital child care is   Garrido, executive director, District
            a time when city government is fac-  lion renovation will cover approxi-  for our employees,” said New York   Council 37 AFSCME, AFL-CIO.
            ing  increased competition  from the   mately 4,000 square feet and is being   City Office of Labor Relations Com-  “This pilot program is a great addi-
            private sector, efforts like this pilot   designed to accommodate up to 40   missioner Renee Campion. “This   tional solution for making child care
            are crucial to increasing the offerings   children.                 pilot will provide needed support to   more affordable and accessible for
            of family benefits and access to flexi-  Design and construction will be   those who participate and help in-  city workers, as well as for workforce
            ble work arrangements.”           managed in-house by DCAS, with    form  additional  efforts  to  support   recruitment and retention.”

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