Actions Needed at Every Level of Government to Ensure that Investments in Pre-K and 3-K Lay the Foundation for Universal Access to Care for All Children Under 5 

For Immediate Release: October 15, 2024
Contact: Elysia Murphy, emurphy@cccnewyork.org 

New York, NY — Today, Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York (CCC) is releasing a new data brief on the city’s publicly funded early care and education system. The analysis illustrates an opportunity to reach greater numbers of children this year, thanks to efforts put forward by city leaders, providers, parents, and advocates to protect and stabilize investments.  

The new data brief, titled, “The Foundation for Universal Access: What NYC Early Education Data Reveals,” looks at population and enrollment trends, as well as current budgeted capacity; and underscores the opportunity that government leaders have in the coming year to strengthen the foundation upon which universal access can be achieved.  

“In New York and across the country, there is a growing recognition of the role that early education plays in not only supporting child development and school readiness, but also the stability of families and our economy overall,” said Jennifer March, Executive Director of CCC. “Our new data brief shows that by taking action to fill funded seats, secure system stability, and prioritize financial partnership across all levels of government, we can set a strong foundation for the universal birth-to-five early education system that we have all been working toward.”  

The data show that while funding for early care and education in New York City has risen by 140% over the last decade, the share of federal funding has plummeted, and state funding has remained consistently well below city contributions.  

Findings in this analysis also illustrate that while the city’s child population and kindergarten enrollment have declined, budget investments made over the past decade have led to increases in early care and education system capacity and access.  

Highlights from these findings include:  

• From 2015 to 2022, the under-five child population in New York City declined by approximately 90,000 children; a decrease that is attributed to several factors including fewer births and more families leaving the city.  
• Kindergarten enrollment in NYC dipped from 85,775 in 2015 to 69,155 in 2024, a trend that is consistent with larger patterns across all grades in city public schools.   
• While enrollment in contracted settings and voucher utilization declined during the pandemic, those trends have rebounded. 10,441 infants and toddlers in contracted care, 59,250 children in contracted Pre-K, 43,957 in contracted 3-K and 71,000 vouchers used in 2024; with half of vouchers used for children under five 
• 23,487 seats in contracted settings (including centers, family and schools) are budgeted that were not previously filled, presenting an opportunity to reach greater numbers of children. Among them, 13,725 are Pre-K seats, 9,367 are 3-K, and 395 would serve infants and toddlers.   

Findings from this data brief illustrate the need for government action to address the operational barriers that stand in the way of system stability and ensure that all budgeted seats are filled. Among them, CCC and its advocacy partners are calling for the following recommendations:  

• Stand up consumer-centered approaches to application and enrollment that include streamlined online points of entry, direct support from providers, and linguistically and culturally appropriate community engagement efforts.  
• Provide early care and education settings with the resources needed to meet the developmental and behavioral health needs of children in their care. 
• Prioritize filling seats and utilizing all budgeted capacity through measures that increase coordination across city agencies, providing greater contract flexibility, and increased public reporting on applications and enrollment.  
• Support the Early Childhood Education Workforce by funding new labor contracts, advancing salary parity and ensuring that licensed home-based family child care providers benefit from bi-annual rate increases.  
• Increase fiscal and system stability by prioritizing continued efforts to complete back payments, improving the contracting and invoicing process, and increasing the state and federal financial partnership in the ECE system.  

“As discussions by government leaders continue in New York and across the nation about how to ensure the needs of working families with young children are met, CCC’s new analysis illustrates the steady growth in both investments and reach of the city’s early care and education system over the past decade,” said Marija Drobnjak, the CCC researcher who conducted the analysis. “There is enormous opportunity to strengthen the foundation upon which universal access can be achieved; we must ensure that all budgeted seats are filled this year and promote greater cross-agency collaboration and partnership between local government and early childhood providers.” 

Read the full set of findings and recommendations in CCC’s data brief here.  

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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.