Summer is here, and we’re taking time to look back at what students, their families, the child care workforce, and advocates accomplished together this year. We’re beginning this moment of reflection with child care because it sits at the heart of so much of our work today.
Child care gives young children essential early learning and developmental support in safe, caring spaces. It also gives families the support they need to work and care for one another.
New York’s child care system should be built around families and the child care workforce that makes care possible every day. That workforce includes the people educating young children as well as the people holding child care spaces together, from home-based care to center-based programs. In 2026, AQE and our statewide partners in the Empire State Campaign for Child Care helped win major movement on child care assistance and universal child care pilots outside of NYC, while New York City moved new funding to expand care for more two-year-olds and continued pre-K investment.
The state budget did not fund direct workforce compensation at the scale the child care workforce needs, and waitlists remain a crisis for many families, especially in NYC. This summer, we’ll keep building public understanding of what universal child care actually requires.
Relatedly, gathering joyfully with folks who share a vision for a more just future keeps our hope alive and our movements moving. That’s why we’re bringing back the wildly popular line dancing in the park this Friday, July 17, from 6 to 8pm in Fort Greene Park. This year, we’re also excited to partner with Malikah, who will provide a 30-minute upstander training from 6 to 6:30pm before the dancing begins.