Clips Packet

September 2015-June 2016

Table of Contents

Summer programs are feeling the heat

Christina Cordona, Queens Chronicle, 6.8.2016

Exclusive: Pols push de Blasio for $62M in kids’ summer programs

Ben Chapman, New York Daily News, 5.26.2016

Harlem Community Center Frets Over Summer Camp Budget Cuts

Dartunorro Clark, DNAinfo, 5.25.2016

Kids Rally At Summer Camp

WNYC, 4.26.2016

Middle School Students Rally for Summer Programs

CBS New York, 4.26.2016

Rally-goers urge City Hall to boost udget for summer programs for kids

Ben Chapman, New York Daily News, 4.25.2016

Hundreds rally at City Hall for restoration of summer camp cuts

Eliza Shapiro, Politico, 4.25.2016

De Blasio allies continue to push on pre-K parity

Eliza Shapiro, Politico NY, 4.18.2016

Investments, Not Cuts, in Youth Summer Programs

Mathieu Eugene and Laurie Cumbo, Gotham Gazette, 4.19.2016

Eugene fights to restore funding to summer camp program

Paula Katinas, Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 4.15.2016

Advocates rally at City Hall for $20M in summer-enrichment programs for students

Ben Chapman, New York Daily News, 4.12.2016

Advocates rally for restoration of summer camp programs

Eliza Shapiro, Politico NY, 4.12. 2016

Advocates, City Council Members Push Back Against Mayor’s Plans to Cut Funding for

Summer Programs for Students

Lindsay Christ, NY1 3.23. 2016

Fight continues for 31,000 summer program slots, but city says funding was one-time-only

Patrick Wall and Fabiola Cineas, Chalkbeat, 3.23. 2016

Recorte de fondos dejaría a 31,000 niños sin escuela de verano

Andrea González-Ramírez, El Diario, 3.23. 2016

Parents, officials call for funding to be restored for summer programs for thousands of

students

Angy Altamirano, Metro, 3.23. 2016

Advocates once again call on city to restore summer programs

Eliza Shapiro, Politico NY, 3.23.2016

31,000 City Kids to Lose Summer Camp Seats Due to Budget Cuts, Pols Say

Ellen Moynihan and Ben Fractenberg, DNAinfo, 3.23.2016

Advocates push to make pre-K parity a budget issue this year

Eliza Shapiro, Politico NY, 3.9.2016

De Blasio defends cuts to summer programs, but advocates express ‘outrage’

Eliza Shapiro, Politico NY, 1.21.2016

Teacher slipping into poverty delivers a lesson in fairness

Nadia Alexander, Crain’s, 1.15.2016

De Blasio’s $15 Wage for Pre-K Staff Doesn’t Level Playing Field: Critics

Amy Zimmer, DNAinfo, 1.7.2016

Day Care Centers Claim They’re Losing Teachers to Better Funded Pre-K

WNYC, 1.6.2016

Advocates push on pre-K pay, with nod to de Blasio’s minimum wage move

Eliza Shapiro, Politico NY, 1.6.2016

Pre-K Teachers Are on Food Stamps After 10 Years Without Raise

Amy Zimmer, DNAinfo, 12.29.2015

City enrolls 68K in pre-K, with big growth in poorest neighborhoods

Eliza Shapiro and Brendan Cheney, Politico NY, 12.18.2015

Bill de Blasio urged to boost pay for pre-K and preschool staff

Ben Chapman, Daily News, 12.15.2015

Day-Care Costs Can Drive a Family Into Poverty Before a Child Reaches Kindergarten

Michelle Chan, The Nation, 12.7.2015

Advocacy groups calls for equal pay for early childhood educators

Stephon Johnson, Amsterdam News, 12.3.2015

De Blasio allies push him to act on pre-K pay disparity

Eliza Shapiro, Politico NY, 11.30.2015

Early childhood advocates launch salary parity campaign

Eliza Shapiro, Politico NY, 11.20.2015

James pushes city to lower cost of child care, despite pre-K

Eliza Shapiro, Politico NY, 11.9.2015

More Early Childcare Is Needed, Not Just Pre-K

Beth Fertig, WNYC, 9.30.2015

Report Shows Need for Elementary After-School Expansion

John Spina, Gotham Gazette, 9.28.2015

Summer programs are feeling the heat

Christina Cardona, Queens Chronicle, June 2,2016

Queens academic summer programs for middle school students are feeling the heat due to budget

cuts.

Mayor de Blasio’s preliminary budget proposal for the fiscal year starting July 1 does not include

funding for programs for more than 30,000 middle school students in the city, about 5,000 of

whom are in Queens.

Several Queens leaders said they’re ready to fight to make sure the programs are opened to

families at no cost to them.

“Have school summer programs replaced libraries and firehouses as the new pawns in an updated

version of the budget dance?” Councilman Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows) said. “The

Council is ready to tango again — we didn’t accept these cuts last year, and we won’t this year

either; but why does the mayor put our kids and parents in this position? The funding must be

restored.”

Summer program advocates tout the programs as a way to help close the achievement gap,

prevent summer learning loss and keep children safe while their parents work, especially in low-

income neighborhoods.

“To leave these children—and thousands like them — unsupervised, unchallenged and without

any sort of structure for two months straight benefits no one,” Traci Donnelly, CEO and

executive director of The Child Center of New York, said. “If the mayor restores this funding,

these children could spend the summer staying active, both physically and mentally, as programs

like ours provide challenging learning opportunities, enrichment activities, and a sense of

community.”

The Child Center of NY’s Summer Enrichment Camp at Parson’s Community School, located at

158-40 76 Road in Flushing, could see half of its seats cut if funds aren’t restored.

“Without this program, upwards of 100 from some of the poorest neighborhoods will have

nowhere to go during the summer months while parents who can’t afford other options work or

attend school,” Donnelly said.

The Queens Community House at 108-25 62 Drive in Forest Hills, which offers services at 25

different program sites across the borough, may have to cut 135 slots from two middle schools.

“The families will need to find alternative options,” Helena Ku, associate executive director for

youth services at Queens Community House, said.

Ku said that the city funds, approximately $81,000, are the only source of money keeping the two

schools running.

Ku said that a big concern is learning loss. According to summerlearning.org, young people

experience learning loss, or forgetting information they learned during the school year, when they

are not academically engaged over the summer.

“Studies have said that when young people are engaged all year round, they can continue their

learning,” Ku said. “It’s loss in terms of grade levels.”

Ku also stressed that it’s not only middle school students feeling the heat, but elementary school

students also.

“In addition, 30 slots to serve elementary school-aged children for both summer and the school

year are being eliminated as well,” Ku said.

One of the activities that are offered at the Queens Community House Summer Camp is

“Culinary Creations,” in which kids can use their reading, writing and measuring skills to make

culinary creations and work as a team.

There is also “Tech Wizards,” which makes science experiments, math activities and web and

computer design fun for the children.

The finalized city budget is due at the end of June.

Councilman Danny Dromm (D-Jackson Heights), chairman of the Council’s Education

Committee, has promised to fight any such cuts to summer programs.

“I thought the budget dance was over with this administration but apparently it is not,” Dromm

said. “Kids need summer camps and families need safe places to enroll their children so they can

go to work. As we move through the budget process, I will fight to ensure these programs are

fully funded and that notification of the funding can be given to the programs as quickly as

possible so we don’t leave families in limbo about what will happen this summer.”

Donnelly said she fears what the proposed budget cuts would do to the future of the children

enrolled in the programs right now.

“It is difficult to see how this would not be a good investment in the city’s present and future,”

she said. “We must prioritize all our children, and ensure equal learning opportunities for those

who need them most.”

http://www.qchron.com/editions/queenswide/summer-programs-are-feeling-the-

heat/article_d358836a-3e1c-5700-ac6f-366d9190dd96.html

EXCLUSIVE: Politicians push de Blasio for $62M in summer

programs for NYC kids

Ben Chapman, New York Daily News, May 26, 2016

Don’t ditch the kiddos this summer, dozens of City Council members are begging Mayor de

Blasio.

Forty-two Council members have signed a letter urging de Blasio to cough up cash for optional

summer programs serving thousands of city kids, the Daily News has learned.

The free summer programs to provide students with tutoring were funded last year as part of de

Blasio’s after-school offerings for middle schoolers called School’s Out New York City, which

runs in more than 560 schools. Other summer youth employment programs were funded

separately.

De Blasio warned that the funding was for one year only, and excluded the programs from his

executive budget this month.

Now the majority of the Big Apple’s 51-member City Council wants him to reconsider.

“All children deserve to have a safe place to learn this summer,” states the letter delivered to de

Blasio on Monday.

“This crucial funding must be restored immediately.”

About 34,000 middle school kids will miss out on useful summer activities because of the cuts,

according to the letter.

The letter also calls on de Blasio to increase funding for a program that provides summer jobs for

city school kids, which has 137,000 applicants for 35,000 slots.

It would cost the city $20.3 million to fund the summer enrichment programs and another $41.8

million to increase the number of summer jobs slots to 60,000.

Councilman Mathieu Eugene, who wrote the letter, said young people should be a priority in the

city budget.

“The best way to invest in the future of our city is by investing in youth programs,” said Eugene

(D-Brooklyn), chairman of the Council’s Youth Services Committee.

“If there aren’t positive alternatives available for our youth, how can we blame them if they make

negative choices?” Eugene asked.

City Hall spokesman Austin Finan said the de Blasio administration has funded several new

programs for middle school kids, including after-school programs that now enroll nearly 111,000

students, up from 44,000 when de Blasio took office.

“As announced in May 2015, last year’s additional seats for summer programming were for one

year only,” Finan said.

“We gave parents and providers a year’s notice to plan ahead for this summer,” he said.

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/exclusive-pols-push-de-blasio-62m-kids-

summer-programs-article-1.2650568?cid=bitly

Harlem Community Center Frets Over Summer Camp Budget

Cuts

Dartunorro Clark, DNAinfo, May 25, 2016

HARLEM – Usually at this time of year, the East Harlem Center is being prepared for the

hundreds of kids who will spend the summer months there.

But recent grant cuts by the city for summer camps this year leave the program in doubt.

Director David Giordano said he’s been scrambling to figure out how to maintain the same levels

of enrollment in the center, located at 130 E. 101st Street.

They have funding for 85 students for seven weeks from July to August, he said, but about 50

middle schoolers will likely be turned away “unless the mayor puts the money in,” Giordano said.

“It is not like a lot of families outside of this community can afford sleep away camp,” he said.

Harlem is among communities hit the hardest by the cuts, according to local advocacy groups.

Central Harlem will see 1,087 placement cuts and East Harlem will see 1,281, according to a

report by the Campaign for Children and the Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York.

The East Harlem center operates under The Children’s Aid Society along with sites in

Washington Heights and The Bronx, which amounts to about 400 slots likely to be cut out of

roughly 31,000 citywide.

“Parents are unsure about whether they can afford the program with the delay (in funds),”

Giordano said. “That also disrupts the continuity in care.”

Last year, he said, additional funding for more children was allocated by the City Council through

discretionary funds by Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, who also represents the area, but this year

he said he’s unsure if that same “gamble” will work a second time.

“I don’t know if we’re going to get it,” he said. “It’s going to be that one year where we don’t

win.”

This past March, dozens of parents, students and City Council members rallied on the steps of

City Hall against the budget cuts to summer camp programs.

The city planned to cut the summer camp slots in 2015, but some council members protested and

the $28 million program was reinstated.

Mark-Viverito’s office said budget talks are currently on-going and the council has urged

expanded youth opportunities in its preliminary response to the mayor’s budget.

Rosemary Boeglin, a city spokeswoman, said parents and service providers were given fair

warning last May that the programs would not be funded in 2016.

“As announced in May 2015, last year’s additional seats for summer programming were for one

year only. We gave parents and providers a year’s notice to plan ahead for this summer," she

said.

Boeglin added that the city has also increased funding and opportunities for summer youth

employment programs.

Giordano said he worries about where the additional children will go during the summer months

and the mad rush to fill spots if funding is somehow allocated.

“Come June it’s going to be so hard to register kids in two weeks,” he said. “What will happen to

those kids if you don’t keep them in camp?”

https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20160525/east-harlem/harlem-community-center-frets-over-

summer-camp-budget-cuts

Kids Rally At Summer Camp

WNYC, April 26, 2016

http://www.campaignforchildrennyc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/RADWNYC_04-26-

2016_08.06.38.mp3

“That’s hundreds of students shouting out to Mayor de Blasio to keep city funded

summer camps open for middle schoolers. City Council member Mathieu Eugene says

more than 30,000 kids in grades 6 to 8 could be without summer camp unless $28 million

dollars is restored to the proposed Executive Budget.”

Middle School Students Rally for Summer Camps

CBS NY, April 26, .2016

http://www.campaignforchildrennyc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/WCBS_04-26-

2016_05.48.58.mp4

“Scores of students rallied at the steps of City Hall yesterday against planned cuts to summer

programs under the new budget.”

Rally-goers urge City Hall to boost budget for summer

programs for kids

Ben Chapman, New York Daily News, April 25, 2016

Nearly 400 parents, advocates and city kids rallied on the steps of City Hall Monday to urge

Mayor de Blasio to include $20 million for summer-enrichment programs in his upcoming

executive budget.

The cash would be used for summer camps and classes for 31,000 city middle school students

starting in July. De Blasio is expected to unveil his executive budget Tuesday.

The city funded the programs last year due to an administrative error that threatened the programs

run by dozens of community organizations

This go-round, the funding was removed from the budget.

City officials said they had announced last year that additional seats would only be funded for a

year, giving parents and providers plenty of notice to find other resources.

United Neighborhood Houses director Gregory Brender said kids need the programs.

“Summer programs are essential in providing children a safe place to go,” said Gregory Brender,

director of United Neighborhood Houses. “Time is running out to make certain that the needs of

our children are met.”

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/rally-goers-push-city-hall-budget-summer-programs-

kids-article-1.2614188

Hundreds rally at City Hall for restoration of summer camp

cuts

Eliza Shapiro, Politico NY, April 25, 2016

Over one hundred students and advocates rallied on the steps of City Hall on Monday to call on

Mayor Bill de Blasio to restore funding cuts to summer camp slots for 31,000 middle school

students.

Public Advocate Letitia James, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and City Councilman

Mathieu Eugene spoke at the rally.

James said the group would hold another rally on Tuesday if de Blasio does not include both

funding for summer programs and pay parity for early childhood educators in his executive

budget. Advocates have been pushing the mayor on both issues for two years, arguing that

funding cuts for summer programs and pay disparities conflict with his administration’s focus on

educational equity.

Last year, de Blasio announced the restoration of cuts to summer programs just hours after

advocates held a similarly-sized rally.

http://www.campaignforchildrennyc.com/news/politico-ny-hundreds-rally-at-city-hall-for-

restoration-of-summer-camp-cuts

De Blasio allies continue to push city on pre-K parity

Eliza Shapiro, Politico NY, April 18, 2016

A group of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s allies wrote the mayor a letter last week pushing him to enact

pay parity for early childhood education teachers, according to a copy of the letter obtained by

POLITICO New York.

Pre-kindergarten education advocates have been pressing City Hall for several years to boost

salaries and benefits for pre-K teachers in community based organizations and day care centers.

The letter was signed by Jennifer Jones Austin, CEO of the Federation of Protestant Welfare

Agencies who served as co-chair of de Blasio’s transition committee.

Phoebe Boyer, president of the Children’s Aid Society, Sharon Greenberger, president of the

YMCA of Greater New York and Sister Paulette LoMonaco, the executive director of Good

Shepherd Services also signed the letter.

http://www.campaignforchildrennyc.com/news/politico-ny-de-blasio-allies-continue-to-push-city-

on-pre-k-parity

Investments, Not Cuts, in Youth Summer Programs

Mathieu Eugene and Laurie Cumbo, Gotham Gazette, April 19, 2016

In a short time, it will be summer, but it's not the impending warm weather that's causing parents

to feel the heat.

Parents are scrambling to make plans for their children because Mayor Bill de Blasio’s

administration has not included funding for summer programs in the city budget, and this severe

cut will impact more than 34,000 students across New York City.

Our children deserve to have the educational and recreational opportunities they need to succeed.

School’s Out New York, or SONYC, is a vital citywide initiative that engages youth in the arts,

sports, and community service. This program helps youth from all neighborhoods foster their

creativity, while encouraging sportsmanship and leadership.

Summer programs are not only an expansion of classroom learning, these crucial programs also

offer children creative outlets in a supervised space. Childcare is expensive and many parents

can't afford pricey camps - our city's summer programs offer youth a much-needed safe space to

spend the summer.

We know our children are bombarded with negativity on a daily basis—but these summer

programs offer them respite. The elimination of $20.4 million in funding for middle school

students—which equates to at least 34,000 summer program slots—should not be perceived as a

cost-saving measure, but rather a divestment from our most vulnerable population. Cutting costs

shouldn’t be at the expense of our youth.

Our city has implemented a number of truly progressive policies to improve quality of life for

residents, but the decision to eliminate summer programs for middle school children will

drastically hurt the tremendous progress we have been making.

Since these important summer programs impact the constituents of virtually all of our City

Council colleagues, we have already received tremendous support from Council members who

have signed on to a letter asking Mayor de Blasio to restore this funding immediately—and to

make this funding for youth a priority in future budgets. When the mayor releases his Executive

Budget in the coming weeks, many working families would be relieved to see the funding

included.

Last year, summer programs were included in the preliminary budget but the funding was

inexplicably removed in May. By working together with our colleagues and dozens of youth

advocates, we were able to make sure that it was restored. But, less than a year later, our

children—and parents—are in the same uncertain situation since funding for these programs was

not included in the budget for Fiscal Year 2017. So, once again, we must join together to fight for

the restoration of these crucial programs that must be baselined in the budget.

It is our moral obligation to do everything possible for our youth. Ultimately, an investment in

our youth is a great investment in our city.

http://www.gothamgazette.com/index.php/opinion/6285-investments-not-cuts-in-youth-summer-

programs

Eugene fights to restore funding to summer camp program

Paula Katinas, Brooklyn Daily Eagle, April 15, 2016

More than 30,000 kids will be left on city streets with nothing to do this summer due to a serious

lack of funding for youth programs, elected officials and advocates charged.

Councilmember Mathieu Eugene (D-Kensington) recently joined with representatives of the

group Campaign for Children and hundreds of young people who had previously attended

summer camp programs for a rally outside City Hall to call on Mayor Bill de Blasio to restore

funding for summer programs in schools.

Eugene, chairman of the council’s Youth Services Committee, said the mayor’s executive budget

for Fiscal Year 2017 does not include funding for summer youth programs.

The funding shortfall will result in the loss of 34,000 seats in summer programs across the city,

Eugene charged.

Summer programs are crucial because they offer children a safe space to spend the day and learn

while their parents are at work, according to Eugene, who said the programs also give children a

creative outlet.

“We must invest in our youth. Summer programs should be a priority in our city’s budget,”

Eugene said. “Our children shouldn’t stop learning just because it’s summer. We have to make

sure that regardless of what season we’re in, our youth are provided with the educational and

recreational services they need.”

Eugene also spoke at a rally held last month on this same issue. But so far, despite the efforts of

youth advocates, the funding has still not been restored to the budget.

“We need funding for summer camp programs. And we need it now so providers, parents, and

children can prepare for the upcoming months,” Eugene said.

Following the release of de Blasio’s proposed budget plan, the Campaign for Children issued a

statement criticizing the lack of funding.

“Summer programs are a necessity for thousands of children and families who have no other

options for a safe, educational, enriching environment while school is out, and for the thousands

of staff members and youth who rely on them for employment. While we applaud the mayor’s

commitment to funding pre-K for 4-year-olds, after-school for middle school students and other

important educational initiatives, we are outraged that the administration has proposed cutting

34,000 summer program slots,” the statement read.

The Campaign for Children conducted a survey of nearly 2,500 parents about their need for

summer programs. More than 90 percent of parents responded that they rely on summer camp to

be able to work.

The de Blasio administration has no funds budgeted toward the School’s Out New York City

program for middle schools for this coming summer or the summers after that, according to a

fiscal brief issued by the New York City Independent Budget Office (IBO).

The mayor started the School’s Out program in 2014.

In May of 2015, the executive budget shifted $27.7 million from the summer program to the

Mayor’s Renewal Schools initiative. Following a public uproar, funding was later added to cover

the cost of last summer’s middle school program, but funding was not included for the summers

ahead, leaving the availability of more than tens of thousands of slots for middle school students

in doubt, according to IBO.

Amy Spitalnick, of the city’s Office of Management and Budget said that no funds have been cut.

“There is no ‘cut.’ The de Blasio administration has dramatically expanded programs for middle

school children,” she told the Brooklyn Eagle. The 34,000 so-called lost seats “were never in this

upcoming year’s budget and therefore were never cut,” she said.

“As we announced one year ago, the city funded the seats for last summer only, so that families

and providers were not left hanging (due to an administrative issue). We were clear in may 2015

that the seats would not be funded in summer 2016,” Spitalnick said.

http://www.brooklyneagle.com/articles/2016/4/15/eugene-fights-restore-funding-summer-camp-

program

Advocates rally at City Hall for $20M in summer-enrichment

programs for students

Ben Chapman, New York Daily News, April 12, 2016

More than 100 advocates and city kids rallied on the steps of City Hall on Tuesday to

urge Mayor de Blasio to include $20 million for summer-enrichment programs in his

executive budget.

The money would be used for summer camps and classes for 31,000 city middle school

kids starting in July.

De Blasio funded the programs last year due to an administrative error in which dozens

of community-based organizations that administer the programs were promised the

money. But this year, the cash spigot is turned off.

“The need for a safe, enriching place to go where children can thrive does not end when

the school year is over,” said United Neighborhood Houses director Gregory Brender.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/advocates-rally-city-hall-20m-summer-

programs-article-1.2598583

Advocates rally for restoration of summer camp programs

Eliza Shapiro, POLITICO NY, April 12, 2016

A group of advocates and students rallied at City Hall on Tuesday, calling on Mayor Bill de

Blasio to restore city budget cuts to summer camp programs for middle school students.

De Blasio cut funding for the programs — which the group Campaign for Children said would

eliminate 31,000 summer camp seats for middle school students — in this year’s preliminary

budget.

The mayor also attempted to cut the funds last year, but ultimately restored the money in his

executive budget after widespread protest.

De Blasio has said he does not plan to fund the programs in this budget cycle.–

http://www.campaignforchildrennyc.com/news/politico-ny-advocates-rally-for-restoration-of-

summer-camp-programs

Advocates, City Council Members Push Back Against Mayor’s

Plans to Cut Funding for Summer Programs for Students

Lindsay Christ, NY1, March 23, 2016

NY1 VIDEO: Mayor Bill de Blasio plans to cut funding for 31,000 children to attend summer

programs this year, but advocates and City Council members are pushing back, saying the mayor

is undermining his own agenda. NY1 education reporter Lindsey Christ reports.

http://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/education/2016/03/23/advocates–city-council-members-

push-back-against-mayor-s-plans-to-cut-funding-for-summer-programs-for-

students.html?cid=facebook_NY1

Fight continues for 31,000 summer program slots, but city says

funding was one-time-only

Patrick Wall and Fabiola Cineas, Chalkbeat, March 23, 2016

When the city decided last year to cut more than 30,000 summer program slots for middle school

students, irate City Council members grilled the schools chancellor and advocates rallied outside

City Hall.

In response, the city restored the funding. But officials made clear: It was a one-time rescue.

Now, those same advocates are demanding that the city once again fund the summer programs,

which they say are concentrated in low-income neighborhoods. On Wednesday, they gathered

once more in front of City Hall to protest the cuts.

“So many middle school kids need a safe place to be during the summer,” said Stephanie Gendell,

an associate executive director at the Citizens Committee for Children of New York, one of

dozens of advocacy groups that are calling for $20.4 million to fund the programs. “The programs

prevent summer learning loss and keep kids out of trouble.”

But, for now at least, the mayor does not appear to be budging.

When he presented his proposed budget for next fiscal year in January, he cited the summer

program cuts as an example as an example of necessary cost-saving. The program is “something

we had thought was a good thing, but wasn’t necessarily a priority we could devote to, so that’s

not in here,” he said when asked by a reporter about savings in this year’s budget.

On Wednesday, City Hall spokeswoman Amy Spitalnick doubled down on that message: “We

were clear in May 2015 that the seats would not be funded in summer 2016.”

The roughly 31,000 summer seats in question are an extension of de Blasio’s after-school

initiative for middle-schoolers, called School’s Out New York City, or SONYC.

SONYC had included a summer component in 2014, but, last spring, the city informed after-

school directors that nearly $28 million for summer programs was going away. Instead, the city

planned to redirect that money to the “Renewal” initiative, a high-profile improvement program

for 94 low-performing schools. (Officials said that funding would not have gone to the summer

programs in the first place had it not been for an administrative error.

The news came as a shock to many program directors and middle schools, some of which had

already started enrolling students for that July. And it outraged some City Council members,

including one who told Chancellor Carmen Fariña during a testy hearing last May that the cuts

were “totally creating havoc in many families’ lives.”

Just hours after that hearing, the city announced that it would restore funding for those summer

program slots — but only for one year.

Despite that, the same coalition of about 150 early-childhood and after-school providers and

advocacy groups, collectively called the Campaign for Children, is fighting for the city to restore

the summer programs. On Wednesday, the coalition released a report showing that the

neighborhoods that stand to lose the greatest number of slots — including Brownsville, Brooklyn

and East Harlem — also have child poverty rates that far exceed the city’s 30 percent average.

Advocates argue that the summer programs, much like de Blasio’s signature pre-kindergarten and

after-school initiatives, boost student achievement while also providing free childcare to working

parents. They say the summer programs, which are run out of schools and other community-based

sites, are vital for keeping teenagers active and safe while school is out of session.

The 31,000 summer slots tied to de Blasio’s middle school after-school expansion are separate

from other summer programs that existed before that, which the city continues to fund. And the

education department offers summer school for students in grades two to 12, which it is

expanding this year.

Mericia Thomas-Reid said her seventh-grade daughter, Nazarine, has taken dance and step

classes at a Police Athletic League summer program in Brownsville for the past two years.

Advocates said that program is likely to shut down this year if the mayor does not restore its

funding.

“The city shouldn’t interfere with our children’s learning,” Thomas-Reid said. “If the summer

program is gone, my daughter will have nothing else to do.”

http://ny.chalkbeat.org/2016/03/24/fight-continues-for-31000-summer-program-slots-but-city-

says-funding-was-one-time-only/#.VvVLS-IrK71

Recorte de fondos dejaría a 31,000 niños sin escuela de verano

Andrea González-Ramírez, El Diario, March 23, 2016

NUEVA YORK – Cuando Carla Herrera tenía 11 años, su familia se mudó de Caracas,

Venezuela a la ciudad de Nueva York. Uno de los refugios que encontró la mujer que hoy tiene

26 años –y que en ese entonces no sabía mucho inglés– fue el programa de escuela de verano del

Center for Family Life en Sunset Park.

Allí, a través de los años Herrera pasó de ser estudiante a consejera y eventualmente, directora del

programa. Hoy es trabajadora social.

Sin embargo, un nuevo recorte de fondos en el presupuesto municipal dejaría a 31,000 niños en la

ciudad sin espacios para este programa de verano y por tanto, sin las oportunidades que Herrera

encontró durante su adolescencia.

Herrera se unió a los concejales, padres, niños y voluntarios que se congregaron hoy en las

escalinatas de la Alcaldía para exigirle al alcalde Bill de Blasio que incluya a los programas de

escuela de verano en el presupuesto para el próximo año fiscal.

De acuerdo a la organización Campaign for Children, los recortes afectarían los vecindarios más

pobres de la ciudad, tales como Brownsville, donde la tasa de pobreza de niños excede el

promedio a nivel de la ciudad y donde se registran las puntuaciones acádemicas más bajas en

comparación a otros vecindarios.

Miembros del Concejo Matthew Eugene, Laurie Cumbo y otros dieron su apoyo a los padres y

alumnos para que los districtos mas pobres de la ciudad para que no se corten los fondos para los

programas de verano. Photo Credito Mariela Lombard/El Diario NY.Miembros del Concejo

dieron su apoyo para que los districtos para que no se corten los fondos para los programas de

verano.

Según estudio realizado por el grupo, 91% de los padres encuestados dijeron que dependen de

esta iniciativa durante el verano y casi 20% tendrían que renunciar a sus trabajos para cuidar de

sus hijos si estos se quedan sin un espacio en el programa.

“Es irresponsable hacer que los padres escojan entre cuidar sus niños o ir al trabajo”, dijo el

concejal del Distrito 17, Rafael Salamanca.

Este es el segundo año consecutivo donde se le ha exigido al alcalde que no recorte el

presupuesto dedicado a la escuela de verano para estudiantes de escuela intermedia.

Durante reunión para discutir el nuevo presupuesto, de Blasio dijo que los programas de escuela

de verano “no eran prioridad”

“El año pasado estuvimos aquí batallando el mismo problema,” dijo la concejal del Distrito 35,

Laurie Cumbo.

“Dos meses pueden cambiar drásticamente la vida de una persona en la ciudad de Nueva York.

No vamos a balancear el presupuesto a costa de nuestros niños.”

Para los concejales, padres y maestros el programa de escuela de verano provee un ambiente

seguro y educativo que ayuda a evitar que cometan actividades ilícitas.

Herrera, quién experimentó de primera mano los beneficios de las escuelas de verano, se muestra

firme en por qué este programa es tan importante.

“Necesitamos programas como estos para los jóvenes de nuestra comunidad, sin estos programas

ellos no tienen la oportunidad de crecer y de tener experiencias que los ayudarían. En cambio,

estarían en la calle haciendo cosas que no serían beneficiosas. Si tenemos la oportunidad de hacer

algo por su futuro, ¿por qué no tomar esa oportunidad? Es lo que se merecen.”

http://www.eldiariony.com/2016/03/23/recorte-de-fondos-dejaria-a-31000-ninos-sin-escuela-de-

verano/

Parents, officials call for funding to be restored for summer

programs for thousands of students

Angy Altamirano, Metro, March 23, 2016

A recent report showed that a majority of the cuts this year will be made in neighborhoods

with child poverty rates exceeding the citywide average.

The possibility of losing summer programming in neighborhoods across the city has New

Yorkers raising their voices to see a change — before it is too late.

Elected officials joined parents and children on Wednesday afternoon on the steps of City Hall to

call on the city to restore funding to summer programs this year.

According to officials, the city plans to cut programming this summer for close to 31,000 middle

schools students — with a large amount of the cuts being made in communities with the greatest

needs.

Not only is the programming essential for students’ academic and life achievements, advocates

said, it also helps parents have a place they know their children will be safe while they have to

work.

“We know how dangerous are our streets, if [the children] don’t have the opportunity to go to the

summer program, where are they going to go? In the streets,” said Councilman Mathieu Eugene,

chair of the Committee on Youth Services. “For them to become the leaders of tomorrow we have

to provide them with the resources and opportunities that they need, like summer programs.”

According to a report released by the Citizen’s Committee for Children and Campaign for

Children, the neighborhoods that will most heavily be impacted with the cuts — like Brownsville

which faces up to 1,577 cuts — also have child poverty rates exceeding the citywide average of

29.6 percent. The areas also see some of the lowest academic achievement rates in the city.

Summer programs, the report said, are essential especially in these communities because it

prevents summer learning loss and also keeps children safe while parents are working to provide

for their families.

“We’re talking about families that are already vulnerable from the beginning. We know that

summer programs for our young people are an opportunity at success not an opportunity to be a

statistic,” said Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson, whose district is seeing a total of 1,246 cuts this

summer. “When you invest in children, you invest in our future, you invest in our families and

you invest in the fabric of this great city.”

The report, called “Cuts to Summer Programs Hit NYC’s Poorest Communities the Hardest,” also

mentions a survey conducted of 2,500 parents last year that found 20 percent of the parents would

quite their jobs if they lose access to a summer program. A total of 12 percent of the parents

would leave the child home alone.

Mericia Thomas Reid — a mother of a seventh grader who has been going to the PAL Beacon

Community Center in Brownsville, Brooklyn for two years — said that the programming has

given her daughter an opportunity to be exposed to things that she might not have been able to

provide for her, such as field trips.

She added that her daughter absolutely loves the program and asked the mayor to reconsider

refunding the program because it is essential to parents, the children and the community as a

whole.

“It would be a big disadvantage if we lose the summer program because [it] gives the children

something to look forward to, somewhere to go every day and it’s safe,” Reid said. “It fills that

gap between June and September and the community would be devastated if we lose it.”

For 13-year-old Kayla Charles, who has been part of the University Settlement Beacon in the

Lower East side for five years, the possibility of losing the summer programming is devastating.

According to Charles, the program has allowed not only herself but other children as well to stay

clear from violence and also be provided a more positive road in life. She added that the program

gives students a place to go where they know someone will always be there for them.

“If I didn’t have beacon I might have been in jail right now, I might have been on the streets,”

Charles said after mentioning many of her family members are currently incarcerated. “I’m going

to fight for these kids so they don’t have to go through the things the rest of my family had to go

through. They deserve better. It’s not something that we want, its something that we need.”

For the parents, students and elected officials, this is the second year in a row having to fight for

the refunding of the summer programing. Last year, after rallying for the cuts not to be made a

total of 34,000 were funded by the city.

However, according to the mayor’s office, the administration made it clear last year that the city

funded the 34,000 seats for only last summer so families and providers were not left hanging after

an administrative error resulted in accidental notifications.

“After hearing from parents and kids, we’re pleased to announce that the administration will fund

the full 34,000 middle school seats for this upcoming summer, for this year only,” said a

statement from the mayor’s office last year.

http://www.metro.us/new-york/parents-officials-call-for-funding-to-be-restored-for-summer-

programs-for-thousands-of-students/zsJpcw—FjCk8iwhgn5s6/

Advocates once again call on city to restore summer programs

Eliza Shapiro, Politico NY, March 23, 2016

Mayor Bill de Blasio’s cuts to summer programs for middle school students disproportionately

will impact poor children, according to advocates seeking to reverse the proposed cuts.

The $20 million cut included in de Blasio’s preliminary budget would affect 31,000 children,

according to the Campaign for Children and Citizens’ Committee for Children. Poor

neighborhoods would be hardest hit, advocates say; Brownsville, Brooklyn, would lose 1,577

summer camp slots and East Harlem would lose 1,281 seats. And parents will be on the hook to

provide child care or stay home with their children if they no longer have access to local summer

programs, the advocates say.

Controversy over the summer camp cuts have dogged de Blasio for two budget cycles.

Last year, he cut funding for the programs just months before they were due to open. After

protests from advocates and members of the City Council, de Blasio restored the funding,

admitting he had “screwed up”by removing funding too late in the year.

But he made clear the funding was guaranteed only for one summer, with no indication the

programs would be paid for in future years. De Blasio has defended the cuts this year by arguing

the city gave programs plenty of notice.

“This time, in the cool light of day, we’re saying ‘nope,’ we’re not going to fund that,” de

Blasio said in January.

“As we announced one year ago, the city funded the 34,000 seats for last summer only, so that

families and providers were not left hanging (due to the administrative issue),” Amy Spitalnick, a

City Hall spokeswoman, said Wednesday. “We were clear in May 2015 that the seats would not

be funded in summer 2016.”

But advocates and some council members are continuing the push for funding ahead of executive

budget negotiations.

The Campaign for Children held a press conference on the steps of City Hall on Wednesday to

urge de Blasio to restore the funding, again arguing the cuts contradict his administration’s

mission to assist low-income New Yorkers.

Council members Mathieu Eugene, Laurie Cumbo, Margaret Chin, David Greenfield, Fernando

Cabrera and Rafael Salamanca attended Wednesday’s press conference and called on the mayor

to restore the programs.

“We have to send a strong message to the mayor,” Eugene said.

The mayor has expanded after school programs for middle schoolers, but only during the

academic year.

De Blasio is facing a familiar set of education-related budget priorities this year.

Advocates are pushing for the same three top priorities as last year: for City Hall to expand its

existing free lunch pilot, for the mayor to create pay parity for all early childhood education

providers, and that funding be restored for summer programs for middle schoolers.

Read the Campaign for Childrens’ full report on the cuts here: http://bit.ly/1RkGAQF.

https://www.politicopro.com/states/new-york/city-hall/story/2016/03/advocates-once-again-call-

on-city-to-restore-summer-programs-032685

31,000 City Kids to Lose Summer Camp Seats Due to Budget

Cuts, Pols Say

Ellen Moynihan and Ben Fractenberg, DNAinfo, March 23, 2016

CIVIC CENTER — Dozens of parents, students and City Council members rallied on the steps of

City Hall Wednesday against budget cuts they said would leave 31,000 children without summer

camp this year.

The planned cuts would eliminate programs for middle school students across the city, including

1,500 spots in Brownsville where the child poverty rate is 53 percent, officials said.

“I’m just sad that I have to come here and do this,” said Lower East Side resident Kayla Charles,

13, who has attended University Settlement Beacon since she was five. “You’ve heard about

these kids getting shot, getting raped, those are my friends. You’ve gotta understand, as kids, we

go through a lot of stuff.”

The city planned to cut the summer camp slots in 2015, but some council members protested and

the $28 million program was reinstated.

Mericia Thomas-Reid’s daughter, Jasmine Thomas, is in the seventh grade and has attended the

PAL Beacon Community Center in Brownsville for two summers.

“She loves it. It’s like a family there. She calls me and says, ‘Mommy, can I stay?’” Thomas-Reid

said. “They go on field trips. She went to the Nickelodeon Teen Awards. That’s not something I

would even know about.”

Thomas-Reid added that she could not afford to pay for a day camp.

“I might have not been able to provide them for a child myself but they’re free,” Thomas-Reid

said, “and the hours really work for working parents, it would be a big disadvantage to lose the

program.”

Brooklyn Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo said some children are at risk of becoming involved in

violent crime without the positive influence of camps.

“Two months can change a young person’s life in the city of New York for the better, or with

irreparable damage that they will never be able to recover from.”

Mayor Bill de Blasio has until April 26 to submit his executive budget to the council.

A spokeswoman for the mayor said parents and service providers were given fair warning last

May that the programs would not be funded in 2016.

“After hearing from parents and kids, we’re pleased to announce that the administration will fund

the full 34,000 middle school seats for this upcoming summer, for this year only — so that

families and providers are not left hanging,” de Blasio said in 2015.

https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20160323/civic-center/31000-city-kids-lose-summer-camp-

seats-due-budget-cuts-pols-say

Advocates push to make pre-K parity a budget issue this year

Eliza Shapiro, Politico NY, March 9, 2016

Pre-Kindergarten and day care providers took to the steps of City Hall on Wednesday to call for

salary and benefit parity for employees at pre-K sites in community-based organizations.

The issue has been a perpetual thorn in Mayor Bill de Blasio’s side, even as his universal pre-K

program has expanded. Advocates say they are considering work stoppages if the city does not

address the salary disparities in the executive budget this year. Providers said Wednesday that

some sites may be forced to close if the salary issue is not fixed.

Austin Finan, a spokesman for de Blasio, said in a statement that salary changes have to be

worked out between pre-K providers and their various union representatives.

“This is a contract negotiation between the providers and the workers’ unions. The City is

engaged in those discussions and supportive of the negotiations underway — but this is a

collective bargaining process between the providers and the unions.”

http://www.campaignforchildrennyc.com/news/advocates-push-to-make-pre-k-parity-a-budget-

issue-this-year

De Blasio defends cuts to summer programs, but advocates

express ‘outrage’

Eliza Shapiro, Politico NY, January 21, 2016

Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday his administration will not fund after school-affiliated

summer programs in this year’s preliminary budget, following a controversy over cuts to those

programs last year.

“We just don’t think we can afford it at this point,” de Blasio said during his budget presentation

at City Hall.

De Blasio has made expanding after school programs for middle school students during the

academic one of his top education priorities, but made clear Thursday he does not believe his

initiative extends to affiliated summer programs.

“I believe fundamentally in after school, but the thing that I committed to in the long term is after

school during the school year for middle schoolers,” he said. “That is effectively a guaranteed

right now in New York City.”

The mayor said the academic year programs are where “the most important impact can be made.”

De Blasio drew criticism from some of his education allies last spring when he omitted $20

million for 34,000 summer program slots shortly before the programs were set to begin. Critics

questioned how his after school initiative could exclude summer programs and organized several

large rallies on the steps of City Hall.

After public pressure and criticism from the City Council, de Blasio admitted his administration

had “screwed up” by cutting funding so close to the beginning of the summer and restored the

money in late May.

But with months of advance notice, de Blasio said, this year is different.

“This time, in the cool light of day, we’re saying ‘nope,’ we’re not going to fund that,” he said.

“People should not assume it’s coming.” He indicated the funding could be on the table for the

executive budget in the spring, but said his administration would “cross that bridge when we

come to it.”

Advocates seem to disagree, and indicated that they will make summer programs another central

focus of this year’s budget negotiations.

“We are outraged that the administration has proposed cutting 34,000 summer program slots,” the

Campaign for Children, a coalition of afterschool and summer school providers and advocates,

said in a statement. “Without these programs, students lose out on too much — about two months

of grade level equivalency in math and reading skills, and the chance to access free, nutritious

meals. We will be advocating for the restoration of funding in time for high-quality programs to

be there for NYC’s children this summer.”

De Blasio was also criticized by childhood hunger advocates, who said his preliminary budget

did not expand universal free lunch for city students. Public Advocate Letitia James has made

universal free lunch a top priority for several years, though de Blasio said in the spring the

program has had “mixed results” and does not yet merit an expansion.

“There is simply no excuse for any child to go hungry in our schools,” James said in a statement

on Thursday.

http://www.campaignforchildrennyc.com/news/politico-de-blasio-defends-cuts-to-summer-

programs-but-advocates-express-outrage

Teacher slipping into poverty delivers a lesson in fairness

Nadia Alexander, Crain’s, January 15,2016

I am proud to be an early childhood educator. Every day, I’m helping to shape the minds of New

York City’s children, many of whom come from low-income communities where educational

opportunities are key to breaking the cycle of poverty. Teaching is truly my calling and life-long

passion.

But even though I perform a critically important job, I myself am living in poverty. I’m on the

losing end of a long-standing system that divides community-based pre-school teachers from

those working for the Department of Education—a system that the city must end.

As a head teacher at Magical Years Early Childhood Center in Brooklyn, my monthly paycheck

is only $100 more than my monthly rent—meaning that my teenage son and I are barely scraping

by, and often have to choose between food and rent. It’s hard enough for me to build up savings

for my son’s college tuition, but I sometimes find myself having to use those funds or rely on

credit cards to supplement my paycheck in order to cover all my bills.

It’s not just me. This is true of all early childhood educators at community-based organizations,

who haven’t had a raise in a decade and many of whom are on government assistance and unable

to afford health insurance. Like me, most of the staff making meager wages at community-based

early childhood centers are minority women.

Yet educators with the same jobs, credentials, and training at Department of Education programs

make far higher wages than those of us in CBOs who are contracted by the city’s Administration

for Children’s Services. Both sets of educators are doing the same important work, and deserve

the same compensation—especially when earning less means taking home poverty-level wages.

Mayor Bill de Blasio’s recent decision to raise wages to $15 an hour for nonprofit workers is an

important step that will thankfully improve the lives of the lowest paid workers at community-

based early childhood centers. But it will not affect the majority of staff, including directors,

assistant teachers, and head teachers like me. Our salaries will continue to lag behind those of our

Department of Education counterparts, unless action is taken. It’s time that early childhood

educators get salary parity.

The ones who truly lose out in this system are the low-income children we serve. Even though

teachers like me are dedicated to our profession, many of us are forced to seek other employment

when the struggles of living paycheck-to-paycheck get to be too much. That means that talented

educators are leaving the children who need them most, or not even applying in the first place.

All children in New York City deserve access to high-quality early education, especially because

the earliest years are the most critical for a child’s mind. To ensure that level of quality, programs

must be able to attract and retain the best teachers and staff. Fair compensation is a good way to

start. The only way to provide children with gifted educators is to offer sufficient pay.

We’re taking a stand to create a level playing field for all early educators. Program directors and

advocates from more than 100 organizations signed a letter calling on the city to create salary

parity, and we have sent hundreds of letters and tweets echoing this call. Recently, we made our

voices heard on the steps of City Hall. We know that the city wants to see early education

programs flourish, so we’re counting on our elected officials to take this crucial step.

Though I have a son, I consider all the children I teach to be my own. I am there to set them on a

path of lifelong learning, to encourage them, and to keep them happy and healthy. I teach because

it fulfills me. The last thing I want to do is give up a career that I love, to work somewhere else

simply because it would allow me to struggle a little less. But that’s exactly what so many

community-based educators have done. They were left with no other options. Our communities

cannot afford to lose any more.

Children are the future of our city, so let’s invest in them by providing a fair livelihood for their

teachers. Salary parity for New York City’s early childhood educators can’t come soon enough.

Nadia Alexander is a head teacher at Magical Years Early Childhood Center in Brooklyn.

http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20160115/OPINION/160109886/teacher-slipping-into-

poverty-delivers-a-lesson-in-fairness

De Blasio’s $15 Wage for Pre-K Staff Doesn’t Level Playing

Field: Critics

Amy Zimmer, DNAinfo, January 7, 2016

MANHATTAN — Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Wednesday that the city will raise the

salaries of all low-wage workers at city-funded pre-K programs to $15 an hour by the end of 2018

— following a series of DNAinfo stories revealing that a number of workers were forced to get

onto food stamps and other public assistance.

The move was welcome news to the approximately2,000teacher’s assistants and aides, cooks,

janitors and other support staff at hundreds of city-funded pre-schools that serve low-income New

York families.

“The mayor deserves a tremendous amount of praise,” said David Nocenti, executive director of

East Harlem’s Union Settlement, which runs seven early childhood centers. He was among the

many urging the city to increase the minimum wage to $15.

However, Nocenti said, while the mayor has taken steps to eliminate the worst poverty wages at

nonprofit early-education centers, he has yet to address the lingering wage gap between them and

their counterparts at the city’s Department of Education, where teachers can earn half a million

more dollars over the course of a 20-year career.

“Those who are teaching the youngest most vulnerable children in the lowest income

communities are being paid 10 to 100 percent less than their counterparts in the DOE,” Nocenti

said. “They deserve to be respected and their salaries should be commensurate with what

they’re doing. Equal pay for equal work.”

Wednesday’s announcement is the latest move on the part of the mayor to repair relations with

early education centers, who have accused him of touting his universal pre-K program even while

leaving some of its staffers to walk to work because they cannot afford MetroCards and sending

others to get onto public assistance or go deeply into credit card debt.

De Blasio’s new minimum wage is part of a larger effort that is expected to lift the wages of

50,000 union workers and nonprofit employees with city contracts across the board.

Who will be affected by the minimum wage raise?

The bump is expected to help more than 2,000 staffers at the city-funded preschools.

An increasing number of these workers have had to rely on public assistance to stay afloat,

according to data from the Day Care Council of New York.

It will also include family and infant care workers who have contracts through the city’s

Administration for Children’s Services — as well as workers who belong to the municipal

workers union District Council 37, such as crossing guards and seasonal workers.

In all, it will apply to approximately 50,000 workers.

Who won’t be affected at the pre-K centers?

Roughly 1,000 teachers and directors at these preschool centers who already earn more than $15

an hour won’t be affected by Wednesday’s announcement.

Currently, many of these pre-K teachers are earning half of what their counterparts at the

Education Department preschools make. Even program directors earn less than DOE head

teachers.

The Day Care Council of New York, which is representing the programs as they negotiate a new

contract with the union DC 1707, is asking for all of its teachers to earn the same amount and for

salary parity with DOE teachers.

Why do Early Learn centers say their teachers need higher salaries?

Many programs have seen a brain drain of their best teachers going to pre-K jobs run by the DOE

that are not only higher paying, but also give teachers off during the summer and shorter days.

In the last two years, more than half of the roughly 250 members of the Day Care Council of New

York lost certified teachers to the DOE, a new report from the group found.

Andrea Anthony, the council’s executive director, noted that the issue was deeply felt by

directors, too.

“It’s kind of disheartening when you put a lot of time to try to reach pinnacle of your career, but

you’re making the same amount of money for 10 years,” she said. “You can leave, but you don’t

because you love your job.”

What does de Blasio plan to do next?

He hinted that larger changes might be in store for the city-funded centers.

“We believe we will get to a resolution in the near term and have an opportunity to address some

of these issues,” de Blasio said of the teachers’ salary disparity, adding that his announcement on

Wednesday was not directly intended to address the lingering wage gap.

He also said he plans to reform the city-funded preschool system and wants to tackle programs

that serve children younger than 4 years old next.

“I believe fundamentally in the power of childcare,” he said. “We’re proud of reaching our 4-

year-olds, and there’s more to do.”

http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20160107/civic-center/de-blasios-15-wage-for-pre-k-staff-

doesnt-level-playing-field-critics

Day Care Centers Claim They’re Losing Teachers to Better

Funded Pre-K

WNYC, January 6, 2016

Privately run day care programs are losing certified teachers because educators can make more

money at the growing number of pre-K programs run by Department of Education, according to

the Day Care Council of New York.

The advocacy group, which represents 96 non-profits that operate city-funded childcare

programs, surveyed its members last fall. In the last two years, half of its member agencies said

they had lost an average of two certified teachers to the Department of Education. Slightly more,

56 percent, said they are operating with certified teacher vacancies.

“We found many of our members have to wait six months to a year to hire certified teachers

because they leave our sector and go to the Board of Ed,” said Andrea Anthony, executive

director of the Day Care Council of New York. “So those classrooms are empty.”

Roughly 80 percent of the council’s 213 centers responded to the survey during the fall. That was

around the same time the city announced more than 68,000 children were enrolled in full day pre-

K classes, compared to 20,000 in 2011.

Community based organizations, which provide roughly half of those seats, traditionally paid

their teachers less than the Department of Education. Mayor Bill de Blasio raised their salaries to

$44,000 or $50,000, depending on education level, specifically to avoid an exodus.

But Anthony said working conditions are still more favorable at the Department of Education.

“They’re paying much more than $50,000, plus they have different benefits and they only work

10 months out of the year,” she explained, versus the community based organizations that have

year-round classes.

In response to the survey, mayoral spokesman Wiley Norvell said the city was working closely

with every day care center to make sure they have the personnel they need. “We have not

encountered any unusual staffing challenges to date,” he said.

Anthony said the pay gap is even bigger in Early Learn classes serving infants to toddlers,

because those teachers never got the salary bump awarded to pre-k teachers. Some of them left to

make more money as pre-k teachers. But those who stayed in Early Learn make an average of

$35,000 a year. Childcare center directors also make less money than fully certified pre-k

teachers with masters degrees.

“We are a social service agency and oftentimes we have to connect our own staff to a food bank

or rent subsidized housing,” said Michelle Paige, director of early childhood education at Union

Settlement, which runs seven centers serving hundreds of children. “A lot of people cannot afford

healthcare for themselves and their families.”

The Early Learn programs have had trouble competing with pre-k programs in other ways,

because of a lack of funding.

Children’s advocates are pressing the mayor to boost funding in next year’s budget to make

private pre-k and pre-school teacher pay more competitive with public school salaries. The Day

Care Council has proposed wage increases for its unionized workers, but it said it can’t do that

without an increase in city dollars.

When asked about the wage discrepancy, Mayor de Blasio said he believes fundamentally in “the

power of childcare.” He said the city plays a supportive role in negotiations between the Day

Care Council and its unions.

“We certainly are engaged with them as an important player indirectly,” he said. “We believe

those negotiations are making real progress. We believe it will get to resolution in the near term.

And we’ll have an opportunity to see how we can address some of those issues.”

De Blasio announced on Wednesday that he wants the minimum wage to rise to $15 an hour for

all City employees who work at not-for-profit organizations contracted with the city by the end of

2018. The Day Care Council said that will help janitors, cooks, and teaching aids who make less

than that. But if the teachers and day care directors don’t get a boost, Anthony said those lower

paid workers won’t have any place to work.

“You can’t open a child care center without the professional teachers,” she stated.

http://www.wnyc.org/story/day-care-centers-claim-theyre-losing-teachers-better-funded-pre-k-

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Advocates push on pre-K pay, with nod to de Blasio’s

minimum wage move

Eliza Shapiro, Politico NY, January 6, 2016

A large coalition of early childhood education advocates and elected officials took to the City

Hall steps on Wednesday to call on Mayor Bill de Blasio — again — to fund pay parity between

teachers at all pre-Kindergarten and day care centers in New York City.

The pay parity issue has emerged as a serious threat to the continued success of de Blasio’s

signature pre-K program, and has caused friction between the mayor from some of his most

stalwart education allies.

Teachers and directors at pre-K centers in community-based organizations (CBOs) — which

make up about half of all the city’s pre-K offerings — make significantly less and have fewer

benefits than their counterparts at Department of Education pre-K centers. And instructors at day

care centers often have even smaller salaries.

“It is past time we build a unified system that treats all child care providers and children equally,”

Public Advocate Letitia James said Wednesday.

But James, city councilmembers and advocates were careful to thank the mayor for his new

commitment to raise the minimum wage for city employees to $15 an hour.

“We’re not being critical of the mayor,” James said twice during Wednesday’s press conference.

But the new minimum wage does not affect CBO teachers, assistant teachers and directors, only

city-employed custodians, cooks and aides. “We thank the mayor, but the issue still exists,”

James said.

James, who has made pre-K pay parity a priority over the last few months, was joined by a group

of councilmembers — including Steve Levin, Antonio Reynoso, Danny Dromm, Margaret Chin,

Alan Maisel, Elizabeth Crowley, Jumaane Williams, Andy King and Helen Rosenthal. Most of

the councilmembers who spoke also thanked the mayor for raising the wage for city workers.

Andrea Anthony, the executive director of the Day Care Council of New York, also

acknowledged the mayor’s new minimum wage announcement while simultaneously pushing him

to immediately address pay parity.

“We all appreciate what the mayor has done,” she said, “but we can’t forget the assistant teachers,

the teachers, and the directors.”

Advocates have been calling attention to the pay parity issue for over a year, and have sent

a series of letters demanding that City Hall address the disparities.

The situation is a uniquely awkward one for the early childhood community, which has received a

considerable boost from the massive expansion of pre-K, and for the mayor, who needs the

support of pre-K providers to continue the expansion. De Blasio has taken some steps to address

the pay disparities, including creating signing and retention bonuses for CBO teachers and using

$17 million of the pre-K budget to address some salary inequities.

Contracts between early childhood education providers are negotiated between the Council of

School Supervisors and Administrators, the city’s principals’ union and the Day Care Council.

Clem Richardson, a spokesman for the CSA, said Wednesday that the union has received a

contract proposal from the Day Care Council and is urging the de Blasio administration to fund it.

“CSA finds the economic proposal acceptable, as it provides members with the first pay raise in a

decade and includes steps towards pay parity,” Richardson said. “We are waiting for City Hall to

formally recognize this proposal and ensure that the funding is in the city budget to support it.”

Early childhood providers said Wednesday that they expect to have a sense of whether the

contract will be funded over the next few weeks.

Wiley Norvell, a spokesman for de Blasio, responded to the press conference in a statement on

Wednesday: “The City works closely with every center to ensure they have the resources, the

personnel and the support they need to provide a high-quality early education. We have not

encountered any unusual staffing challenges to date. The additional support we’ve offered —

from higher salaries to giving centers access to the DOE application portal — is helping ensure

our early education centers can compete for the best talent.”

http://www.campaignforchildrennyc.com/news/politico-ny-advocates-push-on-pre-k-pay-with-

nod-to-de-blasios-minimum-wage-move

Pre-K Teachers Are on Food Stamps After 10 Years Without

Raise

Amy Zimmer, DNAinfo, December 29,2015

BROOKLYN — After nearly three decades on the job, Debra Johnson, an assistant Pre-K

teacher at a city-funded early learning center, earns an annual income of $27,000 — or $13.94 an

hour — about $3,000 less than assistant teachers with the same degree would earn in a public

school in their first year.

Johnson, 50, pays nearly half her take-home in rent for her East New York studio and is currently

more than $2,000 in debt on credit card bills, since she often is forced to charge other needs like

phone, food and transit.

Both she and the teacher’s aide in her class — who earns $11.79 an hour and is on food stamps to

support her children — earn less than the $15 per hour wage guidelines established for the fast

food industry that Mayor Bill de Blasio supported, and far less than their Education Department

pre-K counterparts.

“They’re making so much more money, and we’re doing the same work, going to the same

workshops,” said Johnson, who teaches at Bushwick’s Life Audrey Johnson Learning Center,

who has not seen a raise in a decade, yet has been forced to pay more for health care.

A growing number of early childhood educators are being forced to go on public assistance to

make ends meet — even as de Blasio touts his administration’s prioritizing of universal pre-K for

the city.

“Everyone knows my one true love is pre-K,” de Blasio told reporters during a roundtable event

Dec. 21. “I care about a lot of issues, but this is the one that I really wanted to make sure we did

right.”

But the mayor’s “tale of two cities” income inequality hasn’t lifted up many of the early

childhood staffers who have come looking for help paying their rent or getting onto public

assistance, according to Michelle Paige, director of seven centers and a network of home based

providers for East Harlem’s Union Settlement Association — the city’s 10th largest early

childhood education provider.

“All of the staff is feeling defeated and overlooked,” Paige said. “They’re swallowing their pride

and having to apply for food stamps or rent subsidies.”

Page said she’s seen an increased number of her educators and support staff forced to apply for

the services her organization provides.

“As a director, it’s important to address the equity and parity issue. But from my perspective, it

goes deeper,” she said. “It’s about respect. You have staff coming to work every day working

hard. But they’re getting the same salary as 10 years ago.”

Educators at these city-funded community-based organizations work longer days and don’t have

summers off. Yet, their starting salaries are between 9 to 38 percent lower than DOE teachers.

They’ve been without a raise in 10 years as they wait for a new contract.

Many earn poverty-level wages and rely on public assistance to stay afloat, program

directors said.

Some of their workers walk long distances because they can’t afford MetroCards. Some run out

of money for food at the end of their pay period. And some can’t keep up with rent and end up

temporarily homeless, advocates say.

“The low pay scale prevents us from attracting the best teachers, increases staff turnover, creates

low employee morale, and as a consequence harms the children we are all dedicated to serve,”

wrote a coalition of 45 of these EarlyLearn providers in a recent letter to the mayor.

Advocates tried to repair the damage by asking de Blasio to pay their workers fairly, citing some

stark facts from a survey of their workforce: roughly 61 percent of the staffers at these centers

have incomes below 200 percent of the federal poverty level; 17 percent receive food stamps; and

55 percent of them or their children receive Medicaid.

http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20151229/bushwick/pre-k-teachers-are-on-food-stamps-after-

10-years-without-raise

City enrolls 68K in pre-K, with big growth in poorest

neighborhoods

Eliza Shapiro and Brendan Cheney, Politico NY, December 18, 2015

New York City has enrolled 68,547 four-year-olds in the second year of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s

universal pre-Kindergarten program, city officials announced Friday. The new data confirms

widespread interest in one of the mayor’s signature initiatives and establishes the program’s wide

reach into the city’s poorest neighborhoods.

The new number is an increase of over 15,000 seats from last year. This is the first year for which

the program is intended to reach every interested four-year-old in the city, and it is approaching

full universality; there are only 5,443 more children citywide enrolled in public Kindergarten than

are enrolled in pre-K.

The numbers also demonstrate that pre-K is reaching many of New York City’s most

disadvantaged students, and growing in the city’s poorest neighborhoods as the program expands.

“I have every reason to believe right now that service for the lowest-income neighborhoods in the

city is actually really impressive,” said Halley Potter, a fellow at the Century Foundation who has

published several studies on the city’s pre-K expansion.

The majority of the city’s total pre-K enrollment has happened in the lowest-income quartile, as

measured by U.S. Census data: 26,865 four-year-olds from that quartile have pre-K spots this

year, compared to 7,587 of the city’s highest-income quartile. And while the city’s poorest

neighborhoods have the highest pre-K enrollment, the city now serves six times as many children

in the second-poorest quartile.

Overall, 70 percent of de Blasio’s pre-K expansion has happened in ZIP codes in the city’s two

poorest quartiles. Pre-K enrollment has grown most in pockets of the Bronx, central Brooklyn and

crowded, immigrant-heavy neighborhoods in Queens, according to a ZIP code breakdown of

enrollment.

An examination of school districts also shows how much pre-K has grown in high-needs

neighborhoods. For example, district 9, which encompasses the South Bronx, enrolled 2,691 pre-

K students as of this month, just 340 students fewer than are enrolled in Kindergarten in the same

district. District 19, which includes East New York in Brooklyn, has more students enrolled in

pre-K programs than in Kindergarten: 1,978 four-year-olds attend pre-Ks in district 19; 1,874

students are enrolled in Kindergarten.

The northeast Bronx’s district 11 has one of the highest pre-K enrollment figures in the city, with

3,221 four-year-olds enrolled, more students than are enrolled in the district’s Kindergartens by

about 100 children.

And an analysis by POLITICO New York found a negative relationship between the median

income in the ZIP code and the increase in pre-k seats from 2014 to 2016. This means that ZIP

codes with lower median incomes saw larger increases in pre-k enrollment.

The new data – along with interviews with a panel of early childhood education experts –

highlight both the concentration of seats in some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods and the

overall distribution of seats citywide.

Only four of the city’s 32 school districts have fewer than 1,000 children enrolled in pre-K, and

half of the city’s school districts have over 2,000 pre-K students. In some districts, there are many

more.

And while pre-K has largely reached the city’s poorest sectors, demand has exceeded supply in

some wealthy neighborhoods, particularly pockets of brownstone Brooklyn.

“There’s no neighborhood in the city right now that doesn’t have a seat for every child,” deputy

mayor Richard Buery, who is overseeing the city’s pre-K expansion, said in an interview.

Friday’s announcement may also have the side effect of cutting against an argument from one of

de Blasio’s most consistent critics — Bruce Fuller, a professor at Berkeley, who has argued that

de Blasio’s UPK program hasn’t reached enough children in need. Fuller has released a series of

reports over the last several months blasting various elements of the pre-K initiative, and calling

out de Blasio for not catering specifically to low-income children.

But other academics contend just the opposite.

“It’s really clear that this expansion has happened for very low-income families, low-income

families and middle-income families,” said C. Cybele Raver, a vice provost at NYU’s Steinhardt

School who has been studying the pre-K rollout for the city over the last year.

Craig Ramey, a professor at Virginia Tech and one of the creators of the Abecedarian Project,

considered a gold-standard study for assessing the benefits of pre-K, said the size and scope of

New York City’s program will help the national early childhood research community understand

more about equity. “The issue can be addressed in a close to definitive way in New York City

because of the numbers of kids that are being enrolled in the sophistication of the analyses that

can be brought to bear,” he said.

Potter, of the Century Foundation, said the very fact that UPK is intended to be universal leaves

the program vulnerable to questions about equity.

“When you have a universal program it’s very easy to see remaining gaps in access for

disadvantaged families as failures,” she said. “But if you had a program targeted only to low-

income kids, you would still be seeing those access gaps.” Potter added that undocumented

immigrant families have an easier time applying to UPK than they do to federally-funded Early

Learn or Head Start programs.

The debate around equity also reflects a broader academic question about whether early

childhood education should be focused exclusively on the neediest children.

Fuller’s argument is that studies have only shown pre-K to be effective in the long-term for poor

children. “I don’t think taxpayer money should be spent on things that we are not sure will work,”

he said in an interview. “I think the mayor is trying to do two things: lift poor kids and relieve the

household budgets of middle class families. Both are virtuous policy goals, but by veering back

and forth between the goals I think it weakens the strategy.”

But City Hall has been adamant that the UPK program is intended to reach all families across the

city.

Buery said the administration understands that low-income children have the most to gain from

pre-K, but said the city settled on a universal model in part to boost school diversity.

“It’s actually better for working class families and low-income families to have diverse

classrooms,” he said. “And from a political perspective, universal programs are easier to maintain

over the term, there’s a broad constituency for early childhood education.” Buery added that the

city focused much of its recruiting efforts — tracking down prospective families in churches and

playgrounds and knocking on doors — in low-income neighborhoods.

While the new enrollment data was heralded by the administration on Friday, and pre-K has

rolled out with little controversy overall, de Blasio is still facing a serious dilemma over pay for

pre-K teachers.

Many of de Blasio’s closest education allies have been building pressure on the mayor to address

large salary and benefit disparities for instructors in community-based organizations compared to

teachers in public school, and between pre-K teachers and daycare instructors.

Earlier this week, a coalition of pre-K providers that operate many of the city’s CBO programs

sent de Blasio a letter warning of a pay parity “crisis.” De Blasio has boosted salaries at CBOs

and provided signing bonuses for new teachers, but advocates say many of their instructors are

still living in poverty due to low wages, likely signaling a new obstacle for de Blasio as UPK

continues to expand.

Below is a map showing pre-K enrollment from fiscal years 2014 – 2016, kindergarten

enrollment in fiscal year 2016, and median income by ZIP code. The map is shaded by the change

in pre-K enrollment from 2014 to 2016, with darker colors showing larger increases in enrollment

over time.

http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/city-hall/2015/12/8585999/city-enrolls-68k-pre-k-big-

growth-poorest-neighborhoods

Bill de Blasio urged to boost pay for pre-K and preschool staff

Ben Chapman, Daily News, December 15, .2016

Forty-five operators of prekindergarten and preschools called on Mayor de Blasio to boost wages

for early childhood staffers in a letter delivered to City Hall on Friday, the Daily News learned.

Roughly 4,000 staffers at privately run, city-funded pre-K and preschool centers earn between

$36,500 and $44,000, compared to $48,450 for similar teachers employed directly by the city,

said David Nocenti, executive director of Union Settlement Association.

Nocenti and other leaders of pre-K and preschool centers who signed the letter want de Blasio to

match public school teachers’ salaries at nonprofit centers.

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/pre-k-staff-call-bill-de-blasio-pay-increase-

article-1.2467093

Day-Care Costs Can Drive a Family Into Poverty Before a

Child Reaches Kindergarten

Michelle Chan, The Nation, December 7, 2015

The cost of daycare can drive a family into poverty before a child reaches kindergarten, but it’s

also likely to impoverish her teacher first. While preschool programs are expanding nationwide,

somehow, they cost parents everything while paying teachers nothing simultaneously. And

childcare providers are so underfunded overall that the system leaves both teachers and families

impoverished.

Edie Reichard, a childcare center director in Hamden, CT, sees all sides of the struggle, as she

stretches sliding-scale fees and government grants to the breaking point: “We have parents who

even have a hard time paying the $8 a week…. Since they pay so little, and our grant is only

enough to really just barely cover salaries, but not insurance or anything like that, we can’t pay

our staff what they deserve.”

Teachers bear the cost as community childcare and preschool programs absorb more financially

strapped families. While first grade teachers might earn $45,000 annually with benefits, pre-

Kindergarten teachers earn roughly $27,000 annually on average; hence the irony of preschool

teachers who can’t afford childcare for their own kids (in Connecticut, preschool tuition

consumes over a third of a typical preschool worker’s salary). This pay scale is also disturbingly

out of sync with the profession’s impact; research shows early childhood education is critical to

children’s social development and future prospects, yet their teachers arestranded at the margins

of the social service infrastructure. Meanwhile,childcare can cost households several thousand

dollars a year, even with limited federal subsidies available for poorer parents.

The sector basically has instability, high turnover, and economic frustration baked into its

infrastructure—not a good way to start a childhood, or maintain a career. Annual turnover in

childcare averages about 30 percent nationwide, which can be disruptive to children’s

education and corrosive to overstretched, threadbare programs. More unsustainable still is the

regulatory pressure to meet rising professional requirements (Connecticut and many other

statesrequire at least a bachelor’s degree for higher-paying lead-teacher positions).

Reichard and other community-based center operators joined the recent Fight for 15

protests because they know only massive public investment could close the gap between what

poor parents can scrape together for tuition, and what poor staff need to support their families.

“They’ve worked hard for these degrees. And if you’re going to get paid $15 at McDonald’s and

not have a degree, why wouldn’t you go there, instead of getting paid $9,” Reichard says,

referring to Connecticut’s minimum hourly wage of $9.10. “But I can’t afford [the labor costs]

because I can’t ask families to pay anymore…. That’s the main reason that the state-funded center

directors are so involved in what’s going on with the SEIU Fight for 15.”

One reason for such economic instability is that the early childhood field is less structured

than regular K-12 schools. There are no universal standard requirements for early childhood

teachers, though most states are shifting toward career-path criteria like special certifications for

caregivers and advanced degrees for head teachers. The workforce’s demographics reflect

economic disparities and the diversity of programming. According to a 2014 report by the Center

for the Study of Childcare Employment(CSCCE), early childhood educators have greater

proportions of people of color and women, and also tend to be poorer and have less educational

attainment, compared to K-12 system teachers, who are generally whiter and more credentialed.

On top of the divide between K-12 and pre-K, educators face stiff wage gaps between community

settings like Reichard’s center and standard public school. In New York City, for example, a

coalition of childcare providers, teachers and family advocates are pressing Mayor Bill de Blasio

to provide wage parity in the city’s new universal Pre-K system. Currently senior staff who work

in community-based settings, where most universal Pre-K students are enrolled, might earn just

half of what senior teachers in school-based Pre-K typically earn.

In New Mexico, the PEOPLE for the Kids campaign has formed a “joint advocacy” network of

childcare centers, workers, and parents, supported by the American Federation of Teachers, to

demand comprehensive resources for early childhood infrastructure, with accessible

programs for low-income families and livable wages for workers. They oppose cutbacks to either

wages or services, because both access and program quality are essential.

As an education system ingrained struggling communities, the early childhood sector carries high

risk and infinite potential. As CSCCE points out, a growing portion of the country’s young

children come from communities of color, many of them from immigrant households, and a

diverse workforce can meet their needs for culturally and linguistically competent education: “For

example, minority teachers typically hold higher expectations for minority children, and… often

are more attuned to the challenges related to poverty, racism and immigration status that many

children of color face in their communities.”

Just as early enrichment programs can offset disadvantage in childhood,educational support can

foster career advancement for teachers who otherwise face financial barriers. According to

CSCCE Director Marcy Whitebook, “public support of education and training are critical to

maintaining diversity and reversing some of the stratification by race and ethnicity currently at

play in the field.”

To bring economic sustainability to the workforce, early childhood educators need not only

higher pay, but career advancement opportunities. Teachers in turn require higher education

investments for professional retraining. In the absence of steady federal or state funding streams,

the professional scholarship program TEACH Early Childhood has supported more than 16,000

scholarships for early childhood educators in fiscal year 2015, with a focus on boosting wages for

teachers of color. But for a low-wage workforce estimated at1.2 million educators nationwide, too

many teachers still face an impossible task: providing invaluable enrichment on the cheap.

Tolanda Barnette, childcare worker and mother of three, testified at a recent public hearing in

North Carolina: “There is something really ugly about being someone who is passionate about

caring for children, goes above and beyond to care for children, but not being paid enough… to

have enough to care for my own.”

The tenderest years of childhood chafe against this ugly reality: the system designed to uplift

disadvantaged children, demands that poor parents pay more than they can afford, and that poor

teachers work for less than they’re worth.

http://www.thenation.com/article/day-care-costs-can-drive-a-family-into-poverty-before-a-child-

reaches-kindergarten/

Advocacy groups calls for equal pay for early childhood

educators

Stephon Johnson, Amsterdam News, December 3, 2015

Program directors and advocates from more than 100 education-based programs in the five

boroughs want equal pay for early childhood educators now.

In a letter addressed to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, the group Campaign for Children—

a partnership between the Emergency Coalition to Save Children Care and the New York City

Youth Alliance—the group states that community-based organizations contracted with the

Administration for Children’s Services are struggling to stay afloat. The letter states that these

workers haven’t had a raise in a decade and make less than Department of Education preschool

teachers in public schools.

“The inequalities in compensation often mean the difference between living in poverty or not, and

many staff in EarlyLearn programs depend on food stamps, Medicaid and other government

programs to fill the gaps caused by inadequate wages,” states the letter. “Assistant teachers and

other support staff currently work for significantly lower wages than the $15 per hour guidelines

established for the fast-food industry. We ask that your administration immediately move forward

to ensure adequate and fair compensation comprehensively throughout the early childhood

education system, including for those staff serving children younger than 4 years old.”

Campaign for Children officials say that low salaries mean that they struggle to attract top-tier

talent to educate children in the low-income communities they mostly serve.

“All children in New York City deserve access to a high-quality early education—and in order to

provide that level of quality, programs must be able to attract, retain and fairly compensate

excellent teachers and staff,” said Gregory Brender, co-director of policy and advocacy at United

Neighborhood Houses and a member of the Campaign for Children, in a statement. “Addressing

salary parity is crucial to strengthening our city’s early childhood education system.”

Non-DOE preschool teachers haven’t had a raise since 2006.

“What people don’t realize is that teachers, especially ones like me who teach 2- to 18-month-

olds, are the foundation for children’s learning,” said Nadia Alexander, a 42-year-old head

teacher in Brooklyn, in a statement. “We don’t have a general job description since we do

everything that needs to be done to ensure each child grows into their full potential. Our pay

should reflect that importance.”

The letter offered the mayor and City Hall a few suggestions on how to improve things.

“Your administration made meaningful progress settling the vast majority of the expired labor

contracts you inherited on taking office. However, unionized staff in EarlyLearn programs are

currently working without a contract and have not had a contract with a pay increase since 2006,”

the letter read. “We believe that a simple step to address this issue would be to direct the Office of

Management and Budget and Office of Labor Relations to immediately proceed with negotiations

and to work with both management and labor to adequately fund a contract for EarlyLearn staff.”

http://amsterdamnews.com/news/2015/dec/03/advocacy-groups-calls-equal-pay-early-childhood-

ed/

De Blasio allies push him to act on pre-K pay disparity

Eliza Shapiro, Politico NY, November 30, 2015

A coalition of education advocates and pre-kindergarten providers are redoubling their push for

Mayor Bill de Blasio to fund pay parity between teachers at all pre-K and day care centers in New

York City.

De Blasio and his allies have heralded the city’s pre-K expansion as a nearly unmitigated success.

But the pay parity issue has divided him from many of his most essential supporters in the world

of early childhood education, and threatens to damage the continued expansion of the program in

future years.

Pre-K and day care teachers at community-based organizations (CBOs) make less money and

have fewer benefits than their pre-K counterparts at Department of Education schools. The

disparities are vast: DOE pre-K teachers can make up to $91,000 with a master’s degree and 20

years of experience, while CBO teachers with identical credentials can earn up to $50,000. There

is a second gap between pre-K and day care teachers, even within CBO settings.

The issue has plagued early childhood educators for years but has been exacerbated by flood of

new teachers entering the system under the city’s pre-K expansion.

A group of dozens of pre-K providers and advocacy organizations sent de Blasio a letter last

week asking him to address the pay disparity.

“We urge you to take immediate action to achieve salary parity for the early childhood

workforce,” their letter reads. “Disparities between similarly qualified teachers in EarlyLearn

[day care] and pre-K programs have grown.”

The coalition includes many of de Blasio’s closest allies in the early education world, raising the

stakes for the mayor — among them the Bank Street College of Education, the special education

advocacy group Advocates for Children, the Children’s Aid Society and large pre-K providers

including the Henry Street Settlement and United Neighborhood Houses. The leaders of those

organizations lobbied in Albany on behalf of de Blasio’s pre-K plan.

Public Advocate Letitia James also recently highlighted the pay parity issue in a reportcalling

on the city to lower the cost of child care.

The de Blasio administration has taken some steps to mitigate the disparities, setting aside $17

million from the city’s pre-K budget to address them and offering signing and retention bonuses

for teachers.

Correcting the salary and benefit disparities fully would be enormously expensive for the city; de

Blasio fought for months for the $300 million in annual pre-K funds he eventually secured in

Albany.

Advocates say the mayor’s attempts to lessen the disparities are not enough and argue that many

early childhood teachers still live in poverty.

“The inequalities in compensation often mean the difference between living in poverty or not, and

many staff in EarlyLearn programs depend on food stamps, Medicaid and other government

programs to fill the gaps created by inadequate wages,” the letter reads.

Nadia Alexander, a 42-year-old day care teacher at Magical Years Early Childhood Center in

Brooklyn, only makes $30,000. A single mother, Alexander said she is working to get certified

but can only afford to take one course per semester.

“I’m most definitely considering leaving teaching,” she said in a recent interview.

Wiley Norvell, a spokesman for de Blasio, responded to the letter in a statement: “Step by step,

we’ve been working to increase compensation in this vital field, and to provide the professional

development and higher education needed to build the best system of early educators. Since

taking offer, we’re increased base salaries at [CBOs], created new programs for all early

educators to acquire new credentials, and applied new resources to ensure all non-profits that

contract with the City pay a Living Wage.”

Read the Campaign for Children letter here: http://politi.co/1POEiLf

http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/city-hall/2015/11/8584043/de-blasio-allies-push-him-act-

pre-k-pay-disparity

Early childhood advocates launch salary parity campaign

Eliza Shapiro, Politico NY, November 20, 2015

The Campaign for Children, a coalition of early childhood education advocates and providers,

launched a campaign Friday to push Mayor Bill de Blasio on pay disparities for pre-Kindergarten

and day care teachers.

Early childhood providers have been highlighting the large pay and benefits between teachers in

public school pre-K programs and their counterparts in community-based organizations, and

between day care and pre-K teachers. Those disparities, advocates say, have been made worse by

de Blasio’s pre-K expansion.

De Blasio set aside $17 million to address the disparity last year, but advocates say it hasn’t been

enough.

Members of the Campaign for Children were encouraged to Tweet and call 311 on Friday to ask

de Blasio to create “salary parity for staff in community-based organizations.”

See the flier here: http://bit.ly/1YkAXF6

Read more about the pay disparity issue here: http://politi.co/1sycNv4

http://www.campaignforchildrennyc.com/news/politico-pro-early-childhood-advocates-launch-

salary-parity-campaign

James pushes city to lower cost of child care, despite pre-K Eliza Shapiro, Politico NY, November 9, 2015

Public Advocate Letitia James released a series of recommendations Monday aimed at lowering

the cost of child care in New York City, which can run families an average of $16,250 a year for

infants and is increasing by about $1,600 a year.

During a City Hall press conference, James called on the city to increase the income cap to

qualify for child care tax credits from $30,000 to $65,000. She also pushed for a new office of

early childhood development, which would be separate from the city’s pre-kindergarten program

and the Department of Education’s Division of Early Childhood.

The report is occasionally critical of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s universal pre-K program, which

James has praised in the past. The program, the report states, has caused “turmoil” in the city’s

early childhood work force.

James is referring to a little-noticed but significant dispute within the early childhood community

about pay disparities for teachers in public schools and in community-based organizations. Public

school pre-K teachers make higher salaries and get better benefits than their counterparts in

CBOs, an issue pre-K advocates — and de Blasio allies — have said could threaten the entire

UPK expansion.

The de Blasio administration has taken some steps to mitigate the issue, including setting aside

part of the city’s pre-K budget to address the funding disparity. But CBO directors and teachers

say the system needs a more fundamental change to ensure equity within the early childhood

sector.

James called on the city to “ensure immediate pay equity” for early childhood teachers.

She also noted that leases for child care centers have increased over the last year, and argued that

“the city has failed to properly plan for [rising costs] at sites that it leases.”

Read James’ full report here: http://politi.co/1PlaOEw

http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/city-hall/2015/11/8582271/james-pushes-city-lower-cost-

child-care-despite-pre-k

More Early Childcare Is Needed, Not Just Pre-K

Beth Fertig, WNYC, September 30, 2015

The city may have expanded pre-kindergarten services, but an advocacy group claims it’s still far

behind in providing low-cost childcare for infants and toddlers.

Although more than 157,000 children up to the age of three are eligible for subsidized childcare,

the Campaign for Children says just 14 percent of them receive it.

“There are over 137,000 infants and toddlers who are income-eligible who are not being served,”

said Stephanie Gendell, a member of the campaign and associate executive director for policy and

government relations at the Citizens Committee for Children.

Her analysis found Queens and Staten Island had the biggest gaps between childcare capacity and

potential need, serving between 11.5 and 6.1 percent of eligible infants and toddlers. The Bronx

served the highest percentage (23 percent) of eligible infants.

Gendell acknowledged that the city would never get to 100 percent, and that many families prefer

relying on stay-at-home parents or relatives. But she said providing more seats in childcare

centers, and vouchers for family-based daycare, would enable more low-income parents to work.

The Campaign for Children has not set a target, however, or come up with a cost.

For purposes of this analysis, Gendell used families earning under 200 percent of poverty to

define eligibility — which is what the city uses to determine who qualifies for subsidized

childcare. The programs have sliding-scale fees based on income levels.

The Campaign for Children is the same group that fought cuts to childcare and after-school

programs during Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration, and then pushed to expand them in

the 2013 mayoral election.

But the Administration for Children’s Services, which runs the childcare programs, stood by its

record.

“Providing affordable, quality early education is a priority for this administration, as there is

nothing more important than educating our youngest children,” said spokesman Christopher

McKniff.

He said the agency added 1,500 seats for the fiscal year that began in July, which can serve

infants or toddlers.

The Administration for Children’s Services also cannot use income, alone, as a qualifier for

subsidized childcare. The agency said state and federal funding streams require parents to provide

documentation of employment and training.

http://www.wnyc.org/story/now-pre-k-has-grown-advocates-highlight-need-more-early-childcare/

Report Shows Need for Elementary After-School Expansion

John Spina, Gotham Gazette, September 28, 2015

The expansion of public educational programs to enhance the traditional school system and

combat rising inequality has been a signature of the de Blasio administration.

Much like his universal pre-kindergarten program, de Blasio's vast expansion of middle school

after-school offerings allows more structured opportunity for young people as well as more

assurance and opportunity for parents.

Yet, while over 65,000 four-year-olds are now enrolled in pre-K and more than 100,000 middle

schoolers in after-school programs, there remains a glaring gap in the availability of after-school

offerings for elementary school students. A recent survey by the Campaign for Children, a

coalition of 150 educational advocate groups, shows the need in stark figures.

A report based on the survey, an advance copy of which was shared with Gotham Gazette, shows

that 88 percent of the 83 elementary school programs surveyed have waitlists, with an average

waitlist of 38 percent of capacity. Some lists reach as high 357 spots while others cap waitlists at

30 or 50 due to very low drop out rates.

"The City's significant investment in programs for middle school students has been a major

success," said Stephanie Gendell, Associate Executive Director for Policy and Government

Relations at Citizens' Committee for Children and a member of the Campaign for Children. "But

given the high percentage of programs reporting waitlists, after-school should be extended to the

families of children at all grade levels, all year long."

Mayor de Blasio acknowledges the importance of extended-day programming and has touted his

expansion of middle-school after-school.

"After-school is such a huge difference-maker," de Blasio said during a press conference to

announce increased funding for additional middle school after-school programs. "It extends the

learning day, provides an enrichment that is not there without it, keeps kids safe and sound, helps

kids to the right path, including a lot of young people at the middle school level, where we're

focused, who might be tempted by some of the negative dynamics around them."

When told of the Campaign for Children survey, a representative of the de Blasio administration

stressed its commitment to expanding after-school offerings. "Providing as many young people as

possible with free, safe and high-quality afterschool programs is one of this administration's top

priorities," said Mark Zustovich, a spokesman for the New York City Department of Youth and

Community Development.

"This year, the City's unprecedented expansion of middle school programming means that

106,000 students in sixth through eighth grades will be served during a very critical time in their

development," Zustovich said.

The de Blasio administration has indicated no elementary after-school expansion plans as of yet.

The after-school system is comprised of three components. COMPASS, or Comprehensive After-

School System of New York, which has been the major focus of de Blasio's expansion and offers

expanded educational opportunities in arts and sciences as well as activities to keep children

engaged and active. Beacon Community Centers use schools as hubs for community-based

programing like physical and mental health services, English as a second language (ESL) classes,

and traditional after-school activities. And, Cornerstone Community Centers operate out of

NYCHA facilities and are focused on families within the surrounding housing complexes.

Demand for after-school enrollment far outweighs supply. Yamayra Lopez, a 40-year-old

insurance broker in the Bronx and mother of two, said enrolling her daughter in an elementary

level after-school program was a stressful endeavor to say the least.

"In order to make sure she had a spot, I had to leave work early to meet deadlines and hand in

paperwork," she said. "There were hundreds of people waiting in a line that stretched around the

block. A lot of parents were left out."

According to a report out of Princeton University, after-school programs that provide additional

educational instruction and social interaction "not only support healthy, positive development

during [ages 6 through 14], they will also put in place the kind of safety net needed to support

healthy, positive passage through early and middle adolescence."

Aside from the intellectual and social benefits for students in after-school programs, they also

provide financial relief for low-income families. Parents are able to work or work more hours,

and to save on childcare costs.

The Campaign for Children surveyed 2,500 parents who currently enroll their children in after-

school programs – 268 from the Bronx, 453 from Brooklyn, 279 from Manhattan, 428 from

Queens and 48 from Staten Island.

All told, 91 percent said they required after-school and summer programs to attend work or

school, 64 percent said they relied on the programs to help feed their children, and 30 percent said

they would either have to quit their job or leave their young child at home without supervision if

they couldn't register.

"I can't afford to leave work early to be with her everyday," Yamayra Lopez said of her daughter.

"These programs were where she could build a foundation to transition into a well-adjusted

person. She came out with a wealth of knowledge. I am eternally grateful."

For families with elementary school students on waitlists, the city's further expansion of after-

school programs can't come soon enough.

http://www.gothamgazette.com/index.php/government/5910-report-shows-need-for-elementary-

after-school-expansion