Mary Martinnez has a three-year-old daughter who benefits from the city’s free early childhood education program. Martininnez is concerned about nearly $400 million in cuts to access to these programs.
Mary Martinnez, beneficiary of the Universal Child Care Program indicates:
“For me it is very important because all the children around can be impacted.”
She says if her daughter can’t be in this program next year, she would spend almost $20,000 a year on child care. She has a petition for Mayor Eric Adams.
“I would ask you to invest more in children’s education because that is very important,” explains Mary Martínez, beneficiary of the Universal Child Care Program.
But she is not the only one, dozens of parents together with the New Yorkers United for Child Care organization protested in several counties. Collecting signatures for a petition against Mayor Eric Adams’ cuts.
Rebecca Bailin, directora de New Yorkers United for Child Care sostiene:
“A call to the mayor so that there are no cuts and that all children under 5 years of age have access to education,” said the director of the organization, Rebecca Bailin.
The free programs for three- and four-year-olds, known as 3-K and Pre-K, are part of the city’s universal child care program implemented in 2014.
Since its inauguration in 2014, 3-K program enrollment has increased from 800 in 2017 to nearly 40,000 in 2023, according to analysis by the city’s independent budget office (IBO) detailing cuts to the city’s budget.
Some parents who signed the petition say that the city must ensure the well-being of the little ones since they are the future.
“We want them to invest in us and we would like to have better child care because every child in New York City deserves a chance to live a great life,” says Washington Heights resident Awan Habib.
