Now is a critical moment for city leaders to demonstrate their commitment to protecting and expanding the supports that children and families urgently need. 1.67 million children live in NYC, almost 20% of the total population, and their well-being must be a top budget priority. On May 1st, 2025, Mayor Adams released a $115.1 billion Executive Budget for City Fiscal Year 2026. The budget includes vital restorations for several cornerstone programs that families across the city rely on.

The benefits of affordable, high-quality early education on children’s development, families, and the city’s economy are well documented, and so we are pleased that the Executive Budget restores and baselines $112 million for 3-K seats, as well as $55 million for preschool special education seats. Announced by the Mayor on April 16^th, these restorations are key to achieving stability for programs and ensuring families can access the early care services they need. The budget also baselines $25 million for extended-day seats, which offer year-round care and care for longer hours for EarlyLearn, 3-K, and Pre-K. Moreover, the Budget provides one-year funding of $5 million for Early Care and Education (ECE) outreach and $25 million for PromiseNYC, a program which serves low-income children without eligibility requirements.

The Executive Budget also includes important investments for youth, including $14 million restored and baselined for Community Schools, $11 million in FY26 for Summer Youth Employment Metro Cards, and $18.9 million baselined for Summer Rising. Moreover, the budget includes $21 million in FY26 to add 5,000 new K-5 afterschool seats, and commits to increase funding to $331 million by FY27 to enable the system to serve over 20,000 more K-5 students by FY28. Though these investments are a crucial step towards achieving universal afterschool, we remain concerned that this funding does not address the staffing crisis afterschool programs are experiencing due to low wages. At a time when demand for afterschool programs from families is particularly high, the city must invest funding in this fiscal year to ensure programs can meet the needs of young people and families.

Other restorations will help address the affordability crisis facing far too many families in the city. These include $4.4 million for immigration legal services; $36.1 million for Community Food Connection (formerly the Emergency Food Assistance Program); and $20 million to maintain Fair Fares reduced price transportation at 145% of the Federal Poverty level. Though important, each of these investments are funded for FY26 only and will end if funding is not baselined.

As budget negotiations continue, CCC will continue to uplift priority areas where the proposed budget falls short for children and families including:

• Baseline $70 million for Special Education Pre-K evaluations and services to the nearly 8,000 preschoolers awaiting legally-mandated services
• Increase and baseline $60 million for Promise NYC to provide additional seats for infants and toddlers ages 0-2 without eligibility requirements
• Invest $160 million to begin a phase-in process for higher per participant rates in the FY 2026 COMPASS and SONYC contract extensions (including the additional 5,000 slots added to COMPASS)
• Increase funding for Community Food Connection from $36.1 million to $100 million and baseline funding in outyears
• Invest $3.75 million to expand school-based mental health clinic services in up to 50 schools
• Restore $325 million to support rental assistance for households experiencing housing eviction
• Invest $40 million to expand Fair Fares eligibility to 200% FPL to support low-income households’ public transit costs
• Invest an additional $37.9 million to support Homebase eviction and aftercare services and improve housing stability for low-income households

Summary of Actions Taken in the New York City FY2026 Executive Budget

The Executive Budget for FY 2026 Adds or Restores Funding for the Following Initiatives:

Department of Education

• $112 million baselined for 3-K seats
• $55 million baselined for Special Education Pre-K classes
• $4 million restored in FY26 for Arts Education in FY26 (leaving $37 million in program reductions remaining)
• $150 million in FY26 and $200 million in outyears to reduce class size
• $14 million restored and baselined for Community Schools
• $25 million restored and baselined for ECE Extended Day Expansion
• $5 million restored in FY26 for ECE Outreach
• $2.8 million restored in FY26 for Every Child and Family is Known
• $4 million restored in FY26 for Immigrant Family Engagement
• $2.49 million restored in FY26 for LGBTQ Inclusive Curricula
• $3.4 million in FY26, $4.86 million in FY27, $6.653 in FY28, and $6.99 million in FY189 for Literacy and Dyslexia Program Expansion
• $889,000 restored in FY26 for Mental Health Continuum
• $194 million baselined for School Nurses
• $1.6 million in FY26 for Outward Bound Crew Model
• $500,000 in FY26 for PS 312 Learning Farm
• $6 million restored in FY26 for Restorative Justice (leaving $6 million in program reductions remaining)
• $1.4 million baselined for after 4PM transportation

Libraries

• $15.7 million restored in FY26 for NYC Public Libraries

Administration for Children’s Services

• $39.45 million in FY26 for child care
• $25 million restored in FY26 for Promise NYC

Department of Social Services

• $15.6 million in FY26 for Access to Counsel in Housing Court
• $33 million in FY26 for Affordable Housing Services
• $36.1 million restored in FY26 for Community Food Connection
• $7.8 million in FY26 for Domestic Violence Emergency and Tier II Shelters
• $20 million in FY26 to maintain Fair Fares at 145% Federal Poverty
• $4.4 million in FY26 for Immigration Legal Services
• $7.2 million in FY26 for NYC Benefits Access Initiative

Department of Homeless Services

• $2.7 million baselined for WiFi at DHS Shelters

Office of Racial Equity

• $3.34 million in FY26 for Taskforce on Racial Inclusion and Equity Funding

Department of Youth and Community Development

• $21.3 million in FY26 for Afterschool Expansion, $297.4 million in FY27, $331.4 million in FY28, and 331.4 million in FY29
• $4 million in FY26 for Meal Rate Increases
• $2.5 million in FY26 for Saturday Night Lights
• $18.9 million baselined for Summer Rising
• $11 million in FY26 for SYEP Metro Cards in FY26 ($5.5 million above FY25 levels)

Housing Preservation and Development

• $2.59 million in FY27, $14.7 million in FY28, and $29.3 million in FY29 for NYC 15/15 Rental Assistance

Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

• $10 million in FY26 for Groceries to Go
• $472,000 restored in FY26 for the Mental Health Continuum
• $103.6 million in FY26, $108 million in FY27, and $112.5 million in outyears for School Health Cliff

Health and Hospitals

• $3.64 million restored in FY26 for the Mental Health Continuum

Department of Parks and Recreation

• $2.6 million restored in FY26 for GreenThumb
• $4.1 million restored in FY26 for Urban Park Rangers

Office of Criminal Justice

• $7.6 million baselined for ATI Restoration
• $4.7 million baselined for Re-Entry Restoration

The Executive Budget for FY26 Fails to Fund Key Initiatives that Were Funded in the FY25 Adopted Budget

The City Administration funded the following investments for FY25 only, meaning these investments will end unless they are restored in this Adopted Budget.

Department of Education

• $6 million in FY26 for Restorative Justice Programs in schools, and $12 million in outyears
• $37 million in FY26 and to maintain Arts Funding and $41 million in outyears
• $10 million to maintain teacher recruitment funding
• $4 million to maintain high impact tutoring funding

Department of Social Services

• $325 million for Rental Assistance
• $3 million for Language Services

Department of Homeless Services

• $1.35 million for Children and Families in NYC Homeless System

Department of Youth and Community Development

• $1.5 million for Youth Homelessness
• $315,000 for LGBTQIA+ Curriculum
• $4.9 million for AAPI Community Programs

The Executive Budget for FY 2026 Does Not Fund City Council’s FY 2025 Initiatives

These are investments that were funded by the City Council in FY25 only and will end unless they are restored in the Adopted Budget.

Community Development

• $5.1 million for Asian-American Pacific Islander Community Support
• $14 million for Adult Literacy Initiative
• $2.5 million for the Adult Literacy Pilot Project
• $3.7 million for Communities of Color Nonprofit Stabilization Fund
• $4.59 million for Digital Inclusion and Literacy Initiative
• $5.2 million for LGBTQIA+ Community Services
• $3.225 million for Trans Equity Programs

Community Safety and Victim Services

• $5.1 million for Community Safety and Victim Services Initiative

Criminal Justice Services/Juvenile Justice

• $14.487 million for Alternatives to Incarceration programs
• $9.45 million for Discharge Planning
• $2.525 million for Diversion Programs
• $4.61 million for the Initiative to Combat Sexual Assault
• $2.638 million for Innovative Criminal Justice Programs
• $1.02 million for Support for Victims of Human Trafficking
• $3.476 million for Support for Persons Involved in the Sex Trade

Domestic Violence

• $12.01 million for Domestic Violence and Empowerment (DoVE) Initiative
• $2.45 million for Supportive Alternatives to Violent Encounters (SAVE)

Early Childhood Education

• $5.45 million for the City’s First Readers Initiative
• $600,000 for CUNY Child Care Expansion

Education

• $1.74 million for College and Career Readiness
• $3.75 million for Community Schools
• $7.14 million for Educational Programs for Students, which includes programs such as Chess in the Schools, and the Middle School Quality Initiative (distributed between DOE and DYCD)
• $5 million for the Education Equity Action Plan to support the creation of a K-12 Black Studies curriculum
• $500,000 for the Jill Chaifetz Helpline operated by Advocates for Children
• $2.8 million for LGBTQ Inclusive Curriculum.
• $925,000 million for Physical Education and Fitness
• $2 million for Social and Emotional Supports for Students, including $777,000 for the Child Mind Institute
• $4.650 million for Support for Educators, which funds professional development, training, and mentorship for teachers
• $4 million for Support for Arts Instruction
• $7.4 million for Cultural Immigrant Initiative (distributed among DCLA, DYCD, CUNY, DOE)
• $4.6 million for Digital Inclusion and Literacy Initiative (distributed among DYCD, DCLA, DFTA, DOE, and QBPL)
• $714,500 for Work-Based Learning Internships

Environmental Initiatives

• $5.1 million for A Greener NYC
• $14.3 million for NYC Cleanup

Economic Security

• $2.8 million for the Anti-Poverty Initiative

Food Initiatives

• $8.26 million in FY25 for food pantries
• $2.134 million for Access to Healthy Food and Nutritional Education, which funds farmers markets, urban farms, community gardens, and programs to expand the use of SNAP benefits
• $1.5 million for the Food Access and Benefits Initiative (HRA)

Health Services

• $3.620 million for Access Health NYC
• $664,719 for Child Health and Wellness, which includes programs such as obesity prevention, asthma programs and oral health services
• $3.728 million for the Maternal and Child Health Services initiative
• $1.014 million for the Managed Care Consumer Assistance Program
• $554,423 for Reproductive and Sexual Health Services

Homeless and Housing Services

• $1.35 million for Children and Families in the NYC Homeless System
• $820,000 for the Citywide Homeless Prevention Fund
• $1.5 million Guaranteed Income Pilot Program
• $3.65 million for Community Housing Preservation Strategies
• $1.5 million for the Community Land Trust
• $1 million for Estate Planning and Resolution
• $450,000 for Financial Empowerment for NYC’s Renters
• $4.15 million for the Foreclosure Prevention Program
• $1.8 million for the Home Loan Program
• $650,000 for Housing Court Answers
• $300,000 for the Housing Information Project
• $3.75 million for Stabilizing NYC, a citywide coalition to prevent the loss of affordable housing

Immigrant Services

• $3.35 million for CUNY Citizenship NOW! Program
• $4.4 million Legal Services for Low-Income Immigrants
• $16.6 million for the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project
• $3.982 million for the Unaccompanied Minors and Families Initiative
• $2.4 million for Immigrant Health Initiative
• $2.6 million for Immigrant Opportunities Initiative
• $700,000 for Key to the City

Legal Services

• $3.0 million for Family Advocacy and Guardianship Support
• $485,000 for Legal Information for Families Today (LIFT)
• $5.8 million for Legal Services for Low-income New Yorkers, which includes citywide legal services and the SSI advocacy project
• $3.455 million for Legal Services for the Working Poor

Libraries

• $4.3 million n FY25 for Brooklyn Public Library
• $5.8 million in FY25 for the New York Public Library
• $4.3 million in FY25 for the Queens Public Library
• $1 million in FY25 for the New York Research Library

Mental Health Services

• $3.26 million for the Autism Awareness Initiative
• $1.56 million for the Children Under 5 Initiative, which funds community-based mental health services for children under 5
• $3.425 million for the Court-Involved Youth Mental Health Initiative
• $2.23 million for Developmental, Psychological and Behavioral Health Services
• $1.2 million for the LGBTQ Youth All-Borough Mental Health Initiative
• $3.66 million for Mental Health Services for Vulnerable Populations, which included the Samaritans Suicide Prevention hotline
• $3.08 million for Opioid Prevention and Treatment

Parks and Recreation

• $5.4 million for Parks Equity Initiative

Public Safety

• $720,000 for Arts as a Catalyst for Change
• $3.77 million for the Crisis Management System (distributed among DOE, DOP, DYCD, and HHC)
• $125,000 for Cure Hate
• $1.225 million for the Hate Crimes Prevention Initiative

Young Women’s Initiative

• $973,126 for a Dedicated Contraceptive Fund
• $250,000 for HRA Teen RAPP
• $530,000 for an Initiative for Immigrant Survivors of Domestic Violence
• $350,000 for the Prevent Sexual Assault (PSA) Initiative for Young Adults
• $174,000 for Step in and Stop it Initiative to Address Bystander Intervention
• $714,500 for Work-Based Learning Internships
• $1.096 million for Wrap-Around Supports for Transitional-Aged Foster Youth
• $1.74 million for Young Women’s Leadership Development

Youth Services

• $8.2 million for the Afterschool Enrichment Initiative
• $1.2 million for Big Brothers and Big Sister of New York City
• $500,000 for Civic Education in New York City Schools
• $1.87 million for COMPASS elementary after-school programs
• $1.472 million for Sports Training and Role Models for Success Initiative (STARS)
• $1.4 million for Youth Build Project Initiative
• $17.34 million for Cultural After-School Adventure (CASA)
• $1 million for Citywide Young Adult Entrepreneurship Program Initiative