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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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