On Thursday, February 2nd Policy and Advocacy Associates Rebecca Charles and Caitlyn Passaretti submitted written testimony to the New York City Council Committees on Youth Services, Contracts, and Aging regarding the issue of nonprofit contracts.

The testimony commends the City Council for holding this oversight hearing to have a better understanding of the issues in these spaces. However, Rebecca and Caitlyn also urge the Council to address the severe issues in both youth services and early childhood education, as agencies are often not given enough time to plan their programs and to guarantee providers are paid a living wage. There are several overarching contracting priorities that apply to both early childhood education and youth services providers: ensure timely contract registration and payment for services rendered; address ongoing delays experienced within the Comprehensive Background Check; examine and protect city agency staffing essential to contract registration, payment, and background checks; and wage increases across the human services industry. In addition, Caitlyn and Rebecca outlined additional priorities for youth services contract and early care and education contracts independently. You can read more about their recommendations in the testimony.