More than 140 grandparents sent Mayor Eric Adams a group letter on Monday calling on him to restore city funding to once-thriving NYC child care programs that now face an uncertain future.
Adams is proposing $170 million in additional city funding cuts to publicly-funded universal 3K and pre-K programs — a hot-button issue amid ongoing budget talk that has been a point of contention between parents, the city and the mayor all year.
Rebecca Bailin, executive director of New Yorkers United for Child Care, said the group of grannies sent the letter to the mayor because, as strong advocates for the restoration of public child-care funding, many of them have had to “bear the burden” of a problem that they say the city can address.
“We’re hoping what this letter will do is demonstrate to the speaker and the city council how many people are really pushing for this and who’s pushing for this,” Bailin said.
The letter, signed by 143 grandmas and grandpas from Manhattan, Queens, Bronx and Brooklyn, as well as areas around the five boroughs, reads: “Many of us serve as the primary child-care option for our grandchildren before they are able to enter 3-K and pre-K, and we often fill in gaps in care beyond typical daycare hours or during the summer. While we cherish our role and understand the importance of supporting our adult children’s careers, the current system disproportionately burdens older generations who may be on fixed incomes, dealing with health issues, or juggling their own responsibilities.”
Bailin said the grandparents have not yet received a response from the mayor. However, she, along with families and City Council members, are set to hold a June 26 rally outside Tweed Courthouse in Lower Manhattan, the Department of Education’s headquarters, in protest of the cuts.
Families left out
According to Bailin, more than 2,500 families did not receive 3-K seats for this coming September. More than 700 children are waiting for seats in their legally mandated preschool special education classes.
amNew York Metro reached out to the mayor’s office for comment about the seats but is awaiting a response.
Kathy Ivans, a Brooklyn resident and grandmother of a 3-year-old, said there are many educational benefits to enrolling children in programs such as universal 3K.
“My grandson just completed 3-K where he learned to write his name, began to speak Spanish, and became part of a community. He had a great experience,” she said.
She added that the program allowed her daughter relief from often-extreme child-care costs.
“3-K meant that my daughter didn’t have to pull together child-care costs and could save for her first home. And I had to share less of the child-care duties during the work day so after 40 years working in schools, my husband and I could travel and enjoy our retirement,” Ivans added. “This is a critical program for all children in New York and the idea that the Mayor would back down on the City’s commitment to universal 3-K and PreK is just devastating. I want every child to benefit from this program as my grandson has.”
According to an independent budget analysis in February, Adams made budget cuts to pre-K and 3-K programs totaling almost $400 million since he took office in 2022.
In April, the mayor restored $500 million to education programs, with $5 million restored for promotion efforts to make families aware of the pre-k programs.
