A coalition of parents and left-flank politicians is mounting a hands-on challenge to Adams’ budget cuts to the popular program.
NEW YORK — Mayor Eric Adams has been rolling back his predecessor’s nationally renowned preschool program amid budget cuts. Now, parents and political opponents are using those rollbacks to build a case against his reelection next year.
New York City parents, past City Hall officials and left-flank politicians are assembling a movement to thwart Adams’ plans for $170 million in cuts to the city’s prekindergarten program — cuts they believe will help them vilify Adams’ record on income inequality.
New Yorkers United for Child Care, a newly formed nonprofit, is organizing with 1,600 residents on a listserv and helping 40 parent leaders this month hit playgrounds, grocery stores and coffee shops to collect signatures for their petition to halt the cuts. City lawmakers took to the streets last month to appeal to New Yorkers as Friday’s deadline to apply for prekindergarten was approaching. And The People’s Plan NYC — a coalition of progressive groups — is considering running paid ads and urging its members to reach out to voters throughout the city, including in neighborhoods that comprise Adams’ political base to alert them to the cuts.