Today, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani announced the launch of the New York City Parent Survey, a first-of-its-kind effort to give families a direct role in shaping the future of universal child care.
As Mayor Mamdani takes historic first steps toward delivering universal child care across the city - beginning this fall with 2,000 free 2-K seats and more than 1,000 new free 3-K seats - the survey will play a central role in gathering input from families and incorporating it into program design.
Over the next two weeks, families will receive postcard invitations to participate. The survey will also be available online at nyc.gov/parentsurvey. All families with young children are encouraged to respond. The survey opens March 31 in English and Spanish and will remain open through April 13. A summary of results will be released later this year.
"Last year, New Yorkers made it clear: universal child care is not a luxury, it's a necessity and it cannot wait. The same spirit of community-driven decision-making will guide how we build this system," said Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani. "Every parent and caregiver deserves a voice in shaping the care their families rely on."
"When families have access to quality care and education from the very beginning, children arrive at kindergarten ready to thrive," said Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels. "This survey is an opportunity to make sure the system we are building truly reflects what our families need, and I encourage every parent and caregiver to take a few minutes to make their voices heard."
The survey is a project of the New Practice Lab at New America and is funded by the Robin Hood Foundation. It is expected to be the largest representative survey of New York City parents of young children to date. It asks parents and primary caregivers about their current child care arrangements, preferred schedules and settings and priorities for early childhood education.
"If we're going to build a child care system that works for New York families, we have to start by listening to them," said Richard R. Buery Jr., CEO of Robin Hood. "As a father, and as someone who helped lead the rollout of Pre-K for All, I understand how important it is to hear directly from parents - their needs, their concerns, their hopes for their children - before we design a system meant to serve them. At Robin Hood, we believe affordable child care is foundational to economic mobility, and this survey will help ensure parent voices drive better outcomes for families. I encourage every parent of a young child to participate."
"Smart policy design begins by listening to the people it is meant to serve," said Tara Dawson McGuinness, Executive Director of the New Practice Lab. "Asking parents what they want not only helps to tighten the link between government and people but provides critical data needed to ensure program delivery is responsive to the needs of New Yorkers.
About the Survey
The survey takes about 15 minutes to complete and covers topics including current child care arrangements, parental leave preferences and preferred types and hours of care.
Households that receive a postcard can visit nycparents.norc.org and enter their PIN to access the survey and receive a digital payment for completing it. Other families can visit nyc.gov/parentsurvey for a chance to participate.
All responses are anonymous and voluntary. Data will be kept strictly confidential, and no personally identifiable information will be shared with the Administration. Sampling and data collection are led by NORC at the University of Chicago, a nonpartisan research organization.
The New York City Parent Survey is part of a nationwide effort by the New Practice Lab to strengthen connections between policymakers and families of young children.
