Mayor Zohran Mamdani is promising to fix the city’s childcare payment problems before the first day of school amid concerns that delayed funds could threaten the rollout of his highly anticipated free 2-K program.
Many early childhood centers serving the city’s two, three, and four-year-olds said they had not received city funding they’re owed, making it difficult or even impossible to serve families as the new school year kicks off Sept. 10th. The city had promised some centers bridge loans to cover the funding gap, but owners said that money had not come through either. Some providers said they were taking out personal loans or dipping into savings to get their classrooms in order.
On Monday, Mamdani promised a “whole of government” effort to expedite payments and supplies while also investing $43 million in the education department to improve procurement for early childhood programs.
“I just want to be very clear that the delays that we are discussing are unacceptable and ever since these were identified, we have been working around the clock to ensure that they were fixed for the upcoming school year, and also that they are fixed in general,” Mamdani said.
He promised that the city would be hiring 200 more employees in the office in charge of processing contracts and payments. He said the city is also expediting loans and sending supplies directly to providers.
Mamdani has made expanding free childcare to two-year-olds a top priority of his affordability agenda. The program is scheduled to launch next week with 2,000 seats in Upper Manhattan, the Bronx, Southeast Queens, and Central and Eastern Brooklyn. It is set to expand to 12,000 seats. In a celebratory press conference days after Mamdani took office, Gov. Kathy Hochul pledged funding to support the program’s first two years.
But the city’s early childhood division has been plagued by persistent problems with late payments and bureaucratic dysfunction that some providers said have brought them to the brink of closure. A few have closed.
Lori Cangiolose, director at The Playgroup Experience in Staten Island, said she’d already spent hours Monday afternoon going back-and-forth with education department staff to help them process paperwork she submitted months ago. She said she’s been waiting for the city to sign off on the papers so that they can start cutting the checks she needs for staff, snacks, gas and electricity.
“It’s a mess,” she said.
Cangiolose, whose program serves three- and four-year-olds, said the red tape has been a huge problem for childcare providers for years. Her colleague said expanding the fragile early childhood system to 2-K is like putting new furniture under a leaky roof.
She said she agrees with the mayor that changes must be made to staffing, procurement and communication with providers. “I’m sure there’s more to be done, but that’s the minimum,” she said.
The payment debacle comes amid turbulence in the city’s early childhood division. This summer, deputy chancellor of early childhood education Simone Hawkins announced she will step down in September, prompting concerns from some parents and educators about the rollout.
The 2-K initiative is also being overseen by New York City Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels and Office of Childcare executive director Emmy Liss.