NEW YORK - Yesterday, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and Executive Director of the Mayor's Office of Child Care and Early Childhood Education Emmy Liss met with a roundtable of child care providers in the Bronx as part of a monthlong listening tour, marking another important step in the Mamdani Administration's commitment to supporting the educators who make child care possible for working families across New York City.
"No job is more important than raising our city's children. But for too long, home-based child care providers have done this essential work without support, for too little pay and no recognition. That changes in this administration," said Mayor Mamdani. "Last night, I heard directly from educators about the challenges they face and the changes they need. As we build a universal child care system that works for every family, providers will be our partners every step of the way."
"Every day, in every borough, families rely on home-based child care providers to care for and educate their children. Family child care providers are pillars of their community, working tirelessly to support children and their families, providing care that is culturally-responsive, intimate and flexible. For too long, their work has gone unrecognized," said Emmy Liss, Executive Director of the Mayor's Office of Child Care and Early Childhood Education. "Last night's conversation is one of many as we work hand in hand with family child care providers to ensure they have a seat at the table as the City develops policy, and that we build a child care system that works for all families and providers."
"My profession is underpaid and underappreciated, but I am proud to be a childcare provider for over 23 years. Providers Organized for Power came together because we cannot live on $6 dollars an hour," said Mercedes Mulholland, a Bronx-based educator working with Early Childhood Educators on the Move, on behalf of Providers Organized for Power. "I'm grateful to Mayor Mamdani for coming to my place of work, for understanding family based educators like me deserve respect and recognition. For the sake of the workforce and the families we serve, we look forward to working together to get providers the pay we need to keep our doors open."
This visit builds on a series of actions the administration has taken to create a child care system that centers providers and educators. In May, the administration issued a proclamation declaring Child Care Provider Appreciation Month and kicked off a series of visits to child care providers across the city. Throughout the month, 28 senior administration leaders, including multiple Deputy Mayors, visited child care programs in every borough. The visits celebrated the dedication, commitment and impact of the workers who care for New York City's children.
Yesterday's roundtable was one stop on a broader listening tour of home-based child care programs co-hosted by the Mayor's Office of Child Care and Early Childhood Education and Providers Organized for Power. The tour is focused on fostering honest conversations with educators and recognizing them as essential partners in the City's work to deliver universal child care for New York City families.
Yesterday, Mayor Mamdani and Flatbush-based home child care provider Juanita Hollaway also coauthored an op-ed highlighting this work, published in amNY here .
