NYC families with young children need more affordable childcare options, advocates say

As Mayor Eric Adams and the City Council negotiate a final budget, education advocates are highlighting the pressing need for more affordable childcare options for families.

According to a new analysis by the Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York, childcare costs could consume half of the median income for families with young children.

The analysis finds that a family that has one infant and one preschool-aged child and earns the median income for young families with children – $86,000 – would spend 43% of their annual income on center-based childcare. That’s more than six times what the organization considers affordable. The burden on families is especially high in the Bronx and Brooklyn, and for single parents.

In total dollars, the report finds, parents can expect to pay roughly $20,176 annually for infants and toddlers in a day care center, $16,900 annually for preschoolers in a day care center, $16,250 for home-based care for infants and toddlers, and $14,300 for home-based care for preschoolers.

The analysis is based on data from the New York state Office of Children and Families, which surveyed providers.

“There are affordability concerns across the economic spectrum,” said Jennifer March, executive director of the Citizens Committee for Children. “It reminds us that we need to act in a manner to protect and expand early childhood programming.”

The report comes as the Adams administration has proposed pulling back from a planned expansion of the city’s free 3-K program, slashing more than half a billion dollars in planned investment while redistributing seats to better meet the need.

Earlier this month, the administration released an analysis of its own that found there are more than 30,000 vacant 3-K and pre-K seats. Meanwhile, federal stimulus dollars originally earmarked for the program’s expansion are running out.

But according to the Citizens Committee, parents continue to have difficulty accessing free preschool programming, either because the enrollment process is challenging, or because the hours of operation don’t match their schedules.

To increase access, the group has called on the city to invest in programs that run the entire year, including the summer, and also offer more afternoon, evening and even weekend options for working parents. To make it easier for parents to enroll, the group advocates allowing on-site registration, and to grow the ranks of providers, it is calling for increased compensation for early childhood educators.

The budget is due July 1.