Mayor Adams Announces $80 Million in New Investments to Bolster Early Childhood in NYC

 

New York – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced an additional $80 million in funding to support New York City families and expand access to childcare and early childhood education, putting New York City on the path to universal childcare for low-income families if a pilot is successful. Part of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Adopted Budget, and building on the FY 2026 Executive Budget – often called the "Best Budget Ever" – Mayor Adams announced $70 million in funding to support pre-K special education students who require occupational therapy, speech therapy, or other related services, as well as $10 million in funding for a childcare pilot program for 0-2 year-olds that will serve low-income families across New York City. The pilot program – a first for a major city in the U.S. to offer – will be administered by New York City Public Schools and seeks to expand access to infant and toddler care in a targeted way, building on the foundation of its already existing early childhood programming. "For years, the cost of living has driven many New Yorkers out of the five boroughs, but our administration has been taking action because we understand the best way to make the American Dream a reality for New Yorkers is by making our city more affordable for working-class families," said Mayor Adams.

 

"For too long, working families have struggled with the cost of childcare, which is why we're proud to build on the historic investments we've made. With this $80 million in funding, part of our 'Best Budget Ever,' we're making universal pre-K truly universal to serve students with special needs, and we're launching a historic pilot to provide childcare to 0–2 year-olds that, if successful, could put New York on the path to becoming the first major U.S. city to provide free universal childcare to low-income residents. This is all part of the budget that my mom and family needed growing up, and as mayor, I'm proud to deliver it to working-class families across the five boroughs." "New York City Public Schools is incredibly grateful to the Adams administration for their continued commitment to supporting our early childhood education programming," said New York City Public Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos. "We are not only listening to what our families and communities need – but we're delivering it to them, too. It is our mission to provide high-quality and equitable educational opportunities for all students, starting from their earliest years, and we are building upon the strong foundation of early childhood programming we've already established."

 

Under this adopted budget, New York City Public Schools will be able to reduce meeting wait times for parents of the nearly 1,200 children with special education needs in integrated classes and evaluate close to 1,800 more students annually for special education classes – doubling the amount of Preschool Regional Assessment Center teams. A total of $50 million of the $70 million allocated for pre-K special education seats will expand access to related services, such as speech or occupational and physical therapy for preschool students. An additional $10 million will support increasing the number of administrators to reduce caseloads and adding more community coordinators to better support families. Finally, $10 million will help increase New York City Public Schools' internal capacity to conduct initial preschool special education evaluations, reducing the burden on families to locate private providers. Additionally, beginning this month, New York City Public Schools – in partnership with the Mayor's Office of Early Childhood Education – will begin outreach to childcare providers to gauge interest and capacity to care and expand learning opportunities for 0-2 year-olds as part of their existing work in the communities that need it most.

 

The city will also undertake an analysis to understand demand among low-income communities before beginning an enrollment effort for the pilot program. The city expects that the childcare pilot for 0-2 year-olds to begin in January 2026. These efforts combined will move the city closer to a truly inclusive early childhood system that begins at birth and supports every learner. These investments all build on the Adams administration's historic investments in early childhood education and universal childcare.

 

Mayor Adams' Best Budget Ever included investments totaling $167 million to support young children and their families that strengthened funding to preserve and protect critical early childhood education programing benefiting the most vulnerable children across the five boroughs. These investments committed – for the first time – to annual funding for a citywide 3-K expansion and for the pre-K students with disabilities program to ensure continuity. Over the FY 2025 budget cycle, Mayor Adams protected more than $600 million in key, long-term education programs that had been previously funded with expiring stimulus dollars by making investments in Summer Rising, a citywide 3-K expansion, special education pre-K, community schools, social workers, and arts education. This investment also included one-time funding of $92 million to support a citywide 3-K expansion. Additionally, the Adams administration invested $20 million to ensure that every student on a 3-K waitlist was offered a seat if they applied on time, and $55 million to provide more than 700 new seats for three- and four-year-olds with special needs. A thriving early childhood education system is crucial to making New York City more affordable, particularly for women and families.

 

The Adams administration's child care and early childhood blueprint found that almost 375,000 parents left or downshifted their jobs because of COVID-19 and a lack of access to quality child care. For mothers, the decision to leave the workforce to care for a child can cost up to $145,000 in foregone earnings across their lifetimes; that is why the Adams administration has prioritized developing an early childhood program that works for the long-term and has seen results in terms of access and affordability. Under Mayor Adams' leadership, the city has also made significant investments and enacted policies to support working-class families and put money back into the pockets of working-class New Yorkers by reducing the per child co-payment or out-of-pocket cost of subsidized child care for a family earning $55,000 a year from $55 a week in 2022 to just $4.80 a week today – more than 10 times less. The city has also reduced the co-payments all families pay for subsidized care, bringing the average co-payment per child to less than $220 per year, down from $1,500 annually in 2022. "This investment is a game-changer for working families across New York City," said New York State Senator Roxanne J. Persaud, chair, Committee on Social Services. "By expanding access to early childhood education and supporting children with special needs, we're laying the foundation for a stronger, more equitable future.

 

I'm especially proud to see the city leading the way with a pilot program for infants and toddlers, which is a bold and necessary step to ensure every child gets the best possible start in life. I commend the Adams administration for their strong commitment to supporting New York City's children and families." "I applaud Mayor Adams for continuing to build on the city's investment in pre-K and special education services," said New York State Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn. "This vital $80 million commitment to early childhood education directly uplifts our city's low-income and immigrant families. The $70 million allocated for universal pre-K access for special education students, along with the $10 million childcare pilot program, will make a meaningful difference in the lives of countless families across our city. By expanding universal pre-K to include special education students and launching a pilot program for our youngest learners, this administration is breaking down longstanding barriers to opportunity. These initiatives reflect a deep and ongoing commitment to equity, inclusion, and the future of our children – ensuring that working families, especially in underserved communities, have the support they need to thrive."

 

"We are pleased that the city budget includes critical investments in early childhood education, including increased funding for preschool special education," said Kim Sweet, executive director, Advocates for Children of New York. "Throughout the past year, we heard repeatedly from families of young children with disabilities who were distraught that their children were not receiving the legally mandated services they need to learn. We appreciate the addition of $70 million for preschool special education – funding that is urgently needed to provide services like speech therapy and counseling. We thank Mayor Eric Adams and the City Council, particularly Speaker Adrienne Adams and Education Committee Chair Rita Joseph, for responding to this need. If we want young families to stay in New York City, we have to stop making them fight for the special education services their children are entitled to receive. We look forward to holding the city accountable for ensuring that every preschooler with a disability gets the evaluations, services, and placements they need–and that 3-K and pre-K are truly for all."