57 Years Until Pre-K Is Universal In New York, At Current Rate Of Investment;
ALBANY, N.Y. (January 29, 2019) — A new briefing guide breaks down for the first time the extent of unmet need for pre-K and child care by legislative district, including the percent of children under 4 who are being served by the program currently.
Full day pre-K and child care enrollment rates are under 10 percent in many legislative districts, especially those outside New York City. Presently, four out of five 4-year-olds outside of New York City are still without a full-day pre-K seat.
According to the briefing guide, it would take nearly 57 years to make full-day pre-K truly universal for 4-year-olds in New York at the current pace of investment, even though Governor Cuomo previously pledged that goal would be met this year. Download the briefing guide here.
In child care, the briefing guide highlights that 80% of families eligible for child care assistance – 4 out of 5 – are denied support. Governor Cuomo’s proposed 2019 budget would fail to provide enough funding to maintain current child care services, deepening the existing child care crisis.
To meet the goal of truly universal pre-K for New York’s 3- and 4-year-olds and expand access to child care for working families, the briefing guide recommends that New York invest:
- $150 million for full day quality pre-K for both 3- and 4-year-olds, and restructure pre-K financing
- At least $100 million to expand access to child care for working families, and stabilize the child care workforce and infrastructure
The Ready for Kindergarten, Ready for College Campaign (Ready for K) seeks to mobilize public and policymaker support for strategic investments and policies in pre-K and child care in New York. The campaign works with a full range of early childhood and public education advocates across the state and also seeks to engage parents as well as new partners and champions emerging in the women’s, civil rights, family leave, labor and community organizing campaigns. The Campaign is led by a partnership of the Alliance for Quality Education, the Center for Children’s Initiatives, The Children’s Agenda, Citizen Action of New York and the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy. The campaign seeks to align our agenda with key coalitions, including Winning Beginning New York, as well the Empire State Campaign for Child Care and the Campaign for Children in New York City. Ready for K’s sponsoring organizations meld expertise in effective policy analysis, advocacy and mobilization to win support for campaign priorities.