There’s a longstanding adage that “failing to plan is planning to fail.” In my more than 30 years in public office I have seen firsthand how this can be true. 

Deliberate, rigorous planning is the key to policy success – especially in city government, where issues are multi-faceted and complex. Unfortunately, this administration too often has overlooked this critical step, leaving New York City residents to pick up the pieces. 

The latest example was the free childcare rollout, which left providers and parents alike scrambling in the lead-up to the 2026-27 school year. Nurita Love, a Bronx day care operator, told the New York Times: “Yes, they have a 2-K program, but they didn’t set up the infrastructure to make it work.”

Since widespread reporting by the media that providers had not yet received the funding necessary to operate this academic year, City Hall has publicly pledged that early childcare centers will have sufficient cash to open their doors on Thursday. 

I sincerely hope this is indeed the case. As a father of two, I understand how difficult and stressful it is to find reliable, affordable childcare, and how critical this service is to the long-term success of families across the five boroughs. 

But the truth is this eleventh-hour scramble, which caused undue stress for families and providers alike, could have been avoided. With proper planning and predictable funding, it is possible to build an accessible childcare system that New Yorkers can rely on. 

In 2019, I released a plan called NYC Under 3, an effort to expand affordable childcare to income-eligible families. This proposal called for tripling the number of infants and toddlers in city-backed care and had a dedicated revenue stream. Though NYC Under 3 was never implemented, it offered a blueprint for how a multifaceted effort could succeed. 

Governing is more than promising; it’s following through and delivering for the people who put their faith in you. Leaving childcare professionals – not only those who offer 2-K programs, but also 3-K and pre-K – to twist in the wind, or, worse yet, offering bridge loans that don’t materialize, further erodes trust in government and alienates its constituents. 

This is not what true affordability looks like. 

Running New York City isn’t an extended social media campaign. Governing the nation’s largest and arguably most complicated city requires something much less glamorous: competent management, careful planning, and follow-through.

This administration’s competency track record to date speaks volumes – and not in a good way. Just to name a few: We have seen a rushed, and seriously bungled, pied-a-terre rollout, a $4 billion-plan to rebuild a half-mile section of the crumbling Brooklyn-Queens-Expressway, which looks like a rehash of a previous failed proposal, and the ongoing existence of prominent homelessness encampments despite a promise to connect some of New York’s most vulnerable residents with stable housing.

Every administration faces challenges, of course. But New Yorkers have a right to expect that when City Hall makes a promise, it has a plan to deliver on it.

Early education providers shouldn’t have to go into debt to operate, teachers shouldn’t have to wonder if they’ll get paid because contracts don’t materialize, and parents shouldn’t have to worry about missing work because they lack childcare. 

New York families deserve more than empty promises, flashy videos, and gimmicky press conferences. They deserve an administration that can actually put its money where its mouth is and deliver.

Scott Stringer is a former Assemblymember, a former Manhattan borough president and a former New York City comptroller.