Transcript: Mayor Mamdani Holds Ethnic and Community Media Roundtable on 2-K Enrollment
Zohran Mamdani on NYC Mayor's Office transcripts.
Passages
Thank you very much for your question, and please extend my gratitude for all of the excitement uptown. We have been in this process now for a little over a week at this point, and we're looking to use every single opportunity we have to spread the word. Just the other day, I was in Fort Tryon Park running a 2K for 2-K, and we're looking to get the word out because we want to make sure that every New Yorker who's eligible for this program, anyone who has a two-year-old living in these neighborhoods, knows that they have an opportunity to save more than $20,000 a year through this new program. To your point, we've secured $1.2 billion in funding for this year and the next year. This is funding that allowed us to fix the issues that we were seeing with 3-K, where we were finally able to provide more seats to meet the demand in neighborhoods across the city, 2,000 additional seats to be specific, and to create, for the first time in New York City history, 2-K. Now I'm very excited by the fact that the governor and I share a commitment to this program. She's spoken time and again about how this isn't just a two-year commitment; it's a long-term commitment. And so, we're confident as we go into next year of securing the future of this program.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source We are looking to use every possible form of outreach. So, one of the critical reasons that we're here today is that we also know that so many constituents living in these districts turn to each of you as their way of understanding the city around them. And this is a critical way to get the word out. Additionally, you know, the same day where I was running that 2-K for 2K, I then went to a church in the Bronx to speak about this program. We want to make sure that wherever New Yorkers are engaging with the world around them, we're also there. And I think, to the point of the Bangladeshi population, which is an incredible thriving community in our city, we also want to make sure that this is a program that we make clear is one that is not only available to apply for in 13 languages online, but more than 150 languages through the phone number that I gave earlier. And that even the program itself will be taught in multiple languages, which is a flexibility that comes with home-based care. And that's one of the critical parts of our childcare infrastructure. And I'm proud to apparently have been the first mayor to have visited a home-based center.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source I want to make very clear that we are proud to continue longstanding New York City Public School policy, where we will provide these services for everyone, regardless of their immigration status. And I know that in this moment, especially, there are many immigrant New Yorkers who are fearful given federal policy. And we are proud to be a city that they call their home. And these 2,000 seats, are the beginning of a program that will expand to 12,000 seats and more neighborhoods next year. And then we'll expand to every single two-year-old in New York City. And we know that this is an issue where the cost of childcare is pushing people out of this city. It is prohibitively expensive. And we also know that there are many New Yorkers who build their livelihoods as childcare workers in this city. And we're proud that alongside this push to expand access to not just universal childcare for three-year-olds, but [also] to create, for the first time, universal childcare for two-year-olds. We've also invested $40 million in additional support for childcare workers across the city so that they can continue to do this work, all of it just as the first step that we're taking.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source So, I think, and this goes a little bit to the first question, that we are hopeful of the fact that there will be even more applications than there are seats. And we anticipate that as a reflection of the incredible demand there is for affordable childcare. We're going to do everything we can with the 2,000 seats we have to ensure that we're able to meet that. But then going beyond that, I think there will likely be a wait list, but I'll be sure to give you some additional information on that.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source I think, to your point, the importance of community organizations is critical, not just to the flourishing of life across our city, but even just to this program specifically. 2-K, universal childcare for two-year-olds, is something that we are going to be able to deliver in partnership with community-based organizations. And one of the things that we were so proud of doing was we put out a solicitation of interest, not just from the organizations that have been working with the city, but for the first time in many years, organizations that haven't been working with the city, giving them a chance to join this. And what we have found is these are the neighborhoods where we are able to deliver this new childcare for free at this speed and then next year to expand that. So, we're proud, for example, in Queens, that these 2,000 seats will be for Ozone Park, South Ozone Park, Richmond Hill, Woodhaven, Howard Beach [and] the Rockaways, and then thinking about how do we expand that year over year.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source I would say that at this early point, we don't yet have numbers, however, the excitement that we're seeing is immense. Just being there on a Sunday morning running with hundreds of New Yorkers to celebrate this moment, it is indicative of the fact that childcare is a necessity for people across the city. It's not a nice to have. For a family that is looking to build a life here, that they would be able to save more than $20,000 a year, it would be transformative. Emmy, I'm not sure if there's anything you'd add to that.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source We have long sought to ensure that this is a program that is not only universal in its access but also incredibly high quality in terms of what it actually delivers. And some of that is through a rigorous quality control process that occurs throughout the implementation of these childcare programs. The other piece I would say is that I understand family's apprehension after having seen years of City government cutting back its investment in outreach, cutting back its commitment to these kinds of programs. We knew we were inheriting a 3-K system, free childcare for three-year-olds, and yet we also knew that for too many families the distance between the site they were offered and where they lived was so prohibitive that it felt as if the promise was solely technical. Yes, they were being offered a seat, but could they even use it? And so, one of the key things that we wanted to do was not just create a new program but fix an existing program, and we were able to cut down the commutes for families across the five boroughs for 3-K while also offering these new seats for 2-K. I cite all of this to say that the best way to convince a family about this program is through the power of example, and we are excited at the fact that we are going to start this program this fall, and we believe that in this program, in these 2,000 seats, parents will see exactly the kind of childcare that they have wanted and finally see it at a price point that won't require them to actually even dip into their pockets.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source I think one way is to ensure that we are out in the community and that we are making it as simple as possible. You know, earlier, Anisha was asking about the Bangladeshi population, and I was referring to the 13 languages on the website, one of which is Bangla. We need to be able to meet these needs. When you're talking about the community — and you know, I was at a church in the Bronx on Sunday after the race, and we had what is called a treat truck right outside of the church. The point of that truck is that you could go there and sign up for the childcare immediately. Right after the race, we had a number of DOE employees there with us, as well as volunteers who were signing parents up after they finished running this race. So, to me, it is always how do we make it as easy as possible to sign up for this program? Because too often, government programs, they feel like you're jumping through five hoops, and then you find out if you're eligible. We're telling everyone that everyone is eligible. These are the neighborhoods we're rolling this out in, and we want them to apply. And then it's our job to make it as easy as possible for them to know that and for them to do that. And so, whether it's the 10 welcome centers, whether it's the phone number, whether it's myschools.nyc, or whether it's us out there in the community, that's going to be a critical thing. And I think, to the earlier points, the prior administration cut funding for outreach over years. And what that did was also diminish trust in the program itself, alongside cuts in funding for the program. So, we are having to reverse a lot of what we're inheriting, and we're hopeful that — might not be in a day, might not be in a week, might not be in a month — but the more that we do, the more people understand this is a long-term commitment to the City of New York. Thank you, Vernon.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source I think there is a broader ad spend. Let me just ask — do we have?
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source You know, Senator Warren describes childcare as infrastructure. And I think it's a critical way of understanding what enables a city to provide childcare. It's the community-based organizations, the centers, the home-based learning, the childcare providers and the educators themselves. And these 2,000 seats that we're offering this fall; they are the first step. The next step is 12,000 seats next year, where we expand to more neighborhoods, more boroughs. And then our commitment is to get to every single two-year-old by the end of four years. Now, as I was sharing earlier, we have secured a $1.2 billion commitment from the governor for this year and the next year. However, the governor and I share a longer-term commitment to childcare. And she has made clear in no uncertain terms that her commitment to this program is one that goes beyond those two years. And that is something that we are excited about. Next year will be a year where we secure that longer-term future of this program. And what I would say is, we take very seriously that when we raise parents' expectations, that we have to continue to meet those expectations. And we take that seriously because there's a responsibility when you ask someone to hope and when you ask someone to believe, you have to be able to meet that. And we're going to do that.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source
Every passage above is taken from this recording: NYC Mayor's Office transcripts, Transcript: Mayor Mamdani Holds Ethnic and Community Media Roundtable on 2-K Enrollment.