New York, NY – As child care costs continue to soar for working families, New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer has introduced – “NYC Under 3” – for New York City families.
It is estimated that NYC Under 3 would help more than 70,000 families afford child care, more than triple the number of infants and toddlers in City-backed care and enable approximately 20,000 parents – largely mothers – to enter the workforce. Comptroller Stringer’s plan expands the number of NYC families eligible for publicly supported child care through a modest payroll tax which would exempt small businesses.
“Quality, affordable child care must be a fundamental right for every family, not just a privileged few, so every child in this city has a bright future,” said New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer. “Government has ignored the crisis in child care for too long and we must act now. New York City should drive a child care revolution, put working families first and establish a model for the nation to follow. NYC Under 3 is a down payment on future generations and would benefit children, parents, and the local economy by increasing job stability and economic security. Expanding affordable child care to thousands of young children in New York City is both a critically necessary investment in our future and an economic justice imperative.”
Under the Comptroller’s proposal, families’ contributions toward the cost of care would be based on a sliding scale. A family of four with one child under three and income at about 200 percent of poverty, or just over $50,000 annually, would pay a maximum of around $4,000 a year for child care, less than half of what that same family would pay today – if they had access to assistance.
Comptroller Stringer proposes that funding to increase compensation for community-based child care workers be included in the DOE Adopted Budget for Fiscal Year 2020, as recommended by the City Council. However, if salary parity remains unfunded, revenue from the child care payroll tax must go first to addressing these disparities.
