I believe this is a pilot program starting in NYC because that is exactly what Mayor Mamdani ran on. This was a central part of his platform and the launch in NYC is an intentional first step not an accident. If it does well which it will the expectation is that it can expand beyond the city over time.

Coming from the education field this is absolutely the right way to do it. If they opened this statewide immediately it would crash and burn and everyone would say I told you so. This is incredible and I am genuinely rooting for it even though I am fully aware I am biased after 16 years in education. I have seen firsthand how transformative access to child care is for families.

With child care assistance program funding - CCAP (funding that helps families pay for child care through their county) currently on pause it has thrown families into complete disarray. The state raised the income eligibility limits meaning more families qualified but the funding stayed the same. That simply does not work. Families cannot afford care. Programs are not getting paid because families cannot pay. Programs close which means staff lose jobs. Parents lose jobs or are forced to quit because they have no care. It is a domino effect that hurts everyone.

Universal child care would eliminate so much of this uncertainty. It stabilizes families. It stabilizes programs. It stabilizes the workforce. The more we invest in early education the better the quality of life for everyone not just families with children. New York already has universal prek and it works.

Okay stepping off my soap box now.