Statement by Council Member Annabel Palma:

In Response to Mark Page's Testimony on EarlyLearn

  

   Last fall, my colleagues and I sent a letter to the Administration highlighting a number of concerns related to the EarlyLearn RFP, which at the time had not yet awarded contracts to child care providers.  Among the concerns laid out in this letter were that the RFP would result in a significant decrease in child care capacity and that the reduction in per child rates would place thousands of child care providers at risk of losing their jobs or benefits. 

 

Despite the concerns we expressed in the letter, as well as in subsequent committee hearings and meetings, the Administration is moving forward with only minor changes to the original RFP and the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) awarded contracts to providers this spring. 

 

The release of these contracts has made clear that our concerns were well-founded and our predictions were accurate. EarlyLearn’s impact on the child care system will be devastating for providers, workers and a number of New York City’s children and families.

 

This morning, Office of Budget Management Director Mark Page came before the City Council’s Committee on Finance to present his annual budget testimony and, during this appearance, I took the opportunity to once again highlight the Council’s concerns over EarlyLearn.  While it is clear at this point that the Administration and the Council are at odds over the implementation and consequences of EarlyLearn, Mark Page, as steward of the City’s finances, has an obligation to look beyond ideology and focus on the fiscal impact of these reforms. 

 

Slashing child care services and the jobs they support will place the City’s fiscal health in jeopardy for many years to come.  I hope the Administration will address the Council’s concerns we push to fix this flawed RFP and ensure that we have a system that works for our children and our City.  

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