New York City Makes a Child-Care Benefit a Workplace Seat

The ground-floor center in the David N. Dinkins Municipal Building will provide free, year-round, on-site child care to 40 children ages 6 weeks to 3 years beginning Sept. 10. It is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The immediate change is a care handoff that can occur at the workplace for eligible city employees whose children receive one of the places. The City says the center can put up to $20,000 a year back in working families’ pockets.

The paper surveyed 1,001 mothers of children under 5 in Massachusetts. Eighty-nine percent said they would use formal child care if it were free. The source reports that just 53% of 0-5 year olds in the state are enrolled in formal early child care. Liebman identifies gaps in capacity, quality, and affordability despite state spending that has risen by more than 50% in recent years. He argues that quality must be addressed before more capacity is expanded and identifies higher pay for early educators, start-up support to expand center capacity, and more financial help for low-income families.

The two developments support a bounded conclusion: free care changes the work-and-care choice only for households that can enter a place that fits their day, while broader access also depends on enough providers and educators. The Little Apple has four classrooms and is operated by Imagine Early Learning Centers. Its 40 places do not establish citywide access. Liebman reports that the median lead teacher in Massachusetts child care centers earns $25 hourly, or roughly $50,000 a year, and says low pay leads to high turnover. The next evidence is whether New York City DCAS reports enrollment or waitlist information, and whether Massachusetts lawmakers take up the proposed measures.