Thank you, Chair Gutiérrez, and members of this subcommittee, for holding this hearing today and for your steadfast leadership in advancing early childhood education. Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso remains a committed partner in prioritizing families and our youngest learners, and he supports many of the measures proposed here today to strengthen accountability, transparency, and the expansion of early childhood programs.
The need for affordable, high-quality programs for NYC families continues to grow, yet we fall short of securing the necessary seats to meet that demand. In Brooklyn alone, childcare costs can represent up to 63% of a family’s income. According to the same study, more than 80% of NYC families with children under age five are unable to afford childcare.1 Brooklyn’s child poverty rate is above 25%, highlighting the urgent need for accessible support for our youngest learners and their families.2 When families cannot access affordable childcare, parents, particularly single parents and female-led households, are forced out of the workforce or into unstable employment, furthering economic inequality. A 2025 NYC Comptroller report notes that nearly half of NYC mothers reported at least one childcare-related work challenge and 29% of NYC mothers in the workforce reported dropping out due to child-care concerns.3 By providing parents access to childcare, we increase household income, level the playing field, and reduce economic inequality.
This is not just about economics. Decades of research continue to support the overwhelming benefits of high-quality early childhood education programs, and their relationship to student achievement and social and emotional development. Children who participate in early learning programs demonstrate significantly greater gains in vocabulary, reading, and math skills including reasoning and logic, compared to their peers without access.4 The impact goes beyond school, with children benefiting from social and emotional outcomes such as emotional regulation, impulse control, reduced behavior problems.5 Over time, these benefits carry into adulthood, with improved high school graduation and college completion, increased lifetime earnings, and lower rates of crime.6 All of these benefits are more than double for low-income families and historically disadvantaged populations.7
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Despite the positive effects of investing in early childhood education, we continue to fall short. Just last year, Borough President Reynoso stood with you all opposing the proposed closure of four childcare centers in Brooklyn.8 This was due to DOE’s lack of proper seat configuration, expiring leases, and failure to pay and properly support our providers in this work.
This is a reminder that we need pay parity for our teachers, some of whom earn a starting wage of less than $36,000 a year.9 The same single, women-led households that struggle to access affordable childcare are also disproportionality represented in the workforce.10 The system isn’t just broken, it stacks the deck against those who need it most: our children, their families, and the educators caring for them.
We must do right by our city. Borough President Reynoso stands alongside the Council and the Mayor, supporting many of the steps proposed. Whether it’s increasing reporting and accountability within New York City Public Schools; piloting programs that expand suitable locations for childcare where real estate is scarce and expensive; or expediting the childcare permitting process, we must act to ensure every family has access to quality early childhood education. Thank you.
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