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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