Advocates Applaud EITC Expansion, SYEP Funding, & Investment in Fair Fares; Call on Mayor to Address Funding Gaps for Child Care, Homelessness Prevention  

NEW YORK, NY – In response to Mayor Eric Adams’ FY23 preliminary budget for New York City, Citizens’ Committee for Children (CCC) Executive Director Jennifer March issued the following statement:

“Mayor Adams’ preliminary Fiscal Year 2023 budget makes meaningful progress to support New York City’s young people and lift incomes for families. By committing to deepen the New York City Earned Income Tax Credit, make permanent 100,000 Summer Youth Employment Program jobs for city youth, and invest $75 million in the Fair Fares program to help make transportation affordable for low-income families, the Mayor’s preliminary budget takes steps in the right direction. We also applaud the Mayor for committing to reducing maternal deaths, investing in home visits and referral services for first-time mothers in neighborhoods disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as baselining funding for Fair Futures to offer young people in foster care a fair shot at success.

“Unfortunately, some glaring gaps remain in the Mayor’s budget as it fails to address some of the most pressing issues facing New York families, such as building a truly universal birth to five early care and education system and offering year-round youth services. The budget fails to address the dearth of affordable infant and toddler care and the lack of extended-day/extended-year seats in 3K and UPK programs, expand year-round youth services for school-age children, or invest in summer camps. We also urge the Mayor to invest in homeless prevention and after-care services as well as in-shelter educational supports to better address the needs of families and children at risk of or who are experiencing homelessness. Finally, as children and families are still struggling with immense grief and trauma from the loss of loved ones, job and income loss, heightened housing and food insecurity, ongoing social isolation, and disruption in education and developmental supports, behavioral health needs have skyrocketed. We need robust investments in behavioral health services in communities and schools to ensure that child and adolescent health and wellbeing is prioritized.

“We are also deeply concerned about the potential harm to our youth and communities resulting from over-policing, particularly for Black and brown communities that have been disproportionately affected by historically racist policies and related criminalization. We believe the path towards combatting gun violence is to invest in the resources and services that support and uplift youth and families, and we are eager to work with the administration to strengthen these types of supports for our communities. Our city is currently at an inflection point. Now more than ever, we must support New York City children and youth and ensure families have the resources they need to recover and thrive. We stand ready to help the Mayor and his administration deliver the support New York City families desperately need.”

More information on CCC’s policy recommendations for New York City leaders can be found here: Putting New York’s Children & Families on the Road to an Equitable Recovery: A Transition Plan for City Leaders. CCC’s new analysis of the Household Pulse Survey — a snapshot survey introduced by the Census Bureau to monitor the impact of COVID-19 on households across the country — further illustrates the ways in which New York’s families have experienced the deepest impact from the COVID-19 economic recession, and how recovery is failing to reach the most impacted households.

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About CCC

Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York (CCC) educates and mobilizes New Yorkers to make the city a better place for children. CCC’s advocacy combines public policy research and data analysis with citizen action. CCC casts light on the issues, educates the public, engages allies and identifies and promotes practical solutions to ensure that every New York City child is healthy, housed, educated and safe. For more information about CCC, visit www.cccnewyork.org.experienced the deepest impact from the COVID-19 economic recession, and how recovery is failing to reach the most impacted households.