Community-based organization (CBOs) programs provide services for most young children enrolled in the city-funded early childhood education system — particularly those with high economic need.

Currently, there are 81,611 children under age 5 enrolled in early education services at Department of Education (DOE) schools and CBO centers. Of these children, 62% (50,906) are taught in community-based centers.
The city pays CBO educators, who are mostly women of color, significantly less than their peers at the Department of Education (DOE). This pay inequity, in addition to other risks factors, now compromise program stability and quality.

We urge Mayor de Blasio and the Department of Education to end pay disparity and to build a stable birth-to-5 early education system that invests in high-quality programs. An investment in CBO teachers and essential program components is an investment in children, families, and communities.

Read on to learn more about the important role CBOs play in educating and caring for New York’s youngest children in each borough and the wage gap and other risk factors that threaten stability and quality of the system overall.