NEW YORK – In response to Mayor Bloomberg’s proposed cuts to child care and early education programs cuts which could leave almost 17,000 families without childcare this year parents and their children who will lose child care will gather at City Hall on April 6 at 3pm to say ‘no’ to these heartless cuts. The parents will stand together to urge the City Council to reverse the devastating cuts and prioritize children and their hard working parents. The harmful cuts are a dramatic reversal of the City’s promise to expand early learning opportunities for children and would not only put families and children in unnecessarily difficult situations in tough economic times, but could stunt the educational development of thousands of New York’s children
WHAT: Parents rally to oppose Mayor Bloomberg’s proposed child care cuts which could leave 17,000 families without affordable options
WHO: Parents and children at risk of losing child care
WHERE: City Hall, Manhattan
WHEN: Wednesday, April 6th at 3:00 PM
ABOUT THE CUTS
Mayor Bloomberg’s preliminary budget for the Administration for Children’s Services cuts child care subsidies for almost 17,000 families in the coming year. This devastating blow to the city’s children and working families would be the biggest single cut to child care services since the 1970’s and represents a dramatic reversal of the City’s promise to expand early learning opportunities for the city’s children.
14,000 child care slots have already been lost since 2006. Cutting 17,000 additional subsidies for child care would be devastating for the children – who would be at risk of serious disadvantages when they reach school age – and for the families – who depend on this care to allow them to work.
There are roughly 100,000 subsidized child care slots for children in the City right now. 179,153 children under 5 are eligible for child care subsidies, but don’t receive them. The Mayor’s proposal would cut 17,000 subsidized slots for children of all ages, adding to the problem. 300 classrooms with capacity for 5,440 kids are at risk of closure.
This is penny-wise and pound-foolish as every $1.00 spent on child care spurs $1.86 in economic activity. Studies have shown that child care and early learning programs save up to a billion dollars in future costs for remedial education and lowered high school graduation rates.
