A new independent budget analysis shows that NYC Mayor Eric Adams made budget cuts to vital pre-K and 3-K programs totaling almost $400 million dollars since he took office, sparking concern among parents throughout the city who rely heavily on the child care programs.
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A new independent budget analysis shows that NYC Mayor Eric Adams made budget cuts to vital pre-K and 3-K programs totaling almost $400 million dollars since he took office, sparking concern among parents throughout the city who rely heavily on the child care programs.
The Independent Budget Office (IBO), a department that provides city officials and the public with budget information, found that in total, the reductions to the universal pre-K and 3-K budget have amounted to $283 million in 2024 and $399 million in 2025.
What is the future of pre-K and 3-K in NYC?
amNewYorkMetro reached out to the mayor’s office and the Department of Education asking if the cuts would affect seating and other parts of the programs, but did not immediately hear back. But according to officials at the IBO, the Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget said that the plan to achieve the budget reductions “has not yet been finalized.”
If the cuts result in a reduction of seats—or worse, the elimination of the programs— tens of thousands of NYC parents will be left without reliable and affordable child-care options.
Rebecca Bailin, executive director of the group, New Yorkers United for Child Care (NYUC), called the cuts “a real concern” for parents—including working parents—who are worried about the future of the programs.
“It’s hard to say where these cuts are coming from,” Bailin said. “People are having kids in New York and staying here in part because they knew they could depend on 3-K and pre-K. Now they feel the rug being pulled out from under them.”
What are parents and advocates saying?
Bailin, along with the members of the Day Care…
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