The Adams administration has introduced a new curriculum for the city’s youngest students that officials say will help them become much stronger readers – but early education providers and advocates worry the mayor’s proposed budget could undermine the effort.
The changes to the curriculum are part of the administration’s focus on overhauling literacy instruction in a school system where only half of elementary and middle school students reach proficiency.
“If we truly want children to be proficient readers by the third grade, we have to start at their earliest ages,” said Deputy Chancellor of Early Education Kara Ahmed. “They don’t get a do-over and we owe it to them to get it right.”
But starting in November, Mayor Eric Adams proposed cutting a total of $170 million from the early education budget in the coming fiscal year, saying there are more seats for the city’s free preschool programs than parents are using. Now, as the City Council is reviewing the mayor’s proposal as part of budget negotiations, advocates worry those cuts will ultimately result in less access to the new reading instruction.
“The mayor cannot achieve his goals of improving education and cut early childhood [education] at the same time,” said Gregory Brender, chief policy director of the Day Care Council of New York. He said if the proposed cuts go through, classrooms or even entire providers may have to close.
Officials said the plan is to better match early education seats with demand.
“We will maintain all seats for which there’s a need, and we will work to continue to right-size the number of seats,” education department spokesperson Chyann Tull said.
But critics say Adams is just making it harder to live up to his top education priority.
“The Adams administration is focused on literacy,” said Councilmember Lincoln Restler. “But the problem is that they’ve reduced the number of kids who are going to be able to benefit from these programs.”
All elementary…
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