FACT SHEETS: Fiscal Year 2016 Executive Budget For After-School and Child Care/Early Education

FACT SHEET: Fiscal Year 2016 Executive Budget

After-School

While Mayor de Blasio’s Executive Budget maintains his commitment to expanding after-school programs to over 100,000 middle school students, the proposed budget will result in two different payment rates for elementary after-school programs and additional steps are needed to strengthen, support, and stabilize the after-school system in Fiscal Year 2016 and beyond.

 The Campaign for Children is urging the Mayor and the City Council to ensure that the Final Budget not only maintains current capacity, but also takes much-needed steps to strengthen the after-school system and expand programs to serve more children and families.

The Campaign for Children supports the restorations and investments made for after-school programs in the Executive Budget:

  • $163 million to expand middle school after-school programs to reach 107,000 during the school year.
  • $17.6 million to maintain summer programming for over 22,000 elementary school children.
  • $5.95 million to maintain after-school and summer camp programs to 1,882 elementary school students at 17 sites that had been slated for closure.
  • $29.4 million to maintain 45 NYCHA Cornerstone programs and create 24 new Cornerstone programs.
  • Funding needed to maintain summer camp for 34,000 children this summer (FY2016).

 

 To maintain the strength of the after-school system, the following IMMEDIATE NEEDS must be funded in the FY16 Final Budget:

  • $8.8 million to ensure all elementary COMPASS (formerly OST) after-school slots are paid the same rate (all $3,200 rather than the $2,800 being offered to those issued awards with the baselined funding).
  • Ensure the after-school models include summer programming.
  • Maintain 13 existing COMPASS elementary programs with historical connections to families and communities (Note these programs were due to provide summer camp this summer.)

 

To stabilize and strengthen the after-school system, the following actions must also be taken in the Final Budget:

  • Increase the rate for elementary after-school, Beacon, and Cornerstone programs.
  • Increase the capacity to serve more elementary and high school students in after-school programs.

 

For more information visit: www.CampaignforChildrenNYC.com

Facebook: Campaign for Children // Twitter: @ChildrenNYC #Campaign4Children

  

FACT SHEET: Fiscal Year 2016 Executive Budget

Child Care/Early Education

 While Mayor de Blasio’s Executive Budget maintains his commitment to expanding full-day pre-kindergarten to all 4-year-olds and his recent announcement will begin to stabilize the system, the proposed budget will result in the loss of early education programs for hundreds of children ages 0-4.

The Campaign for Children is urging the Mayor and the City Council to ensure that the Final Budget not only maintains current capacity, but also takes additional steps needed to strengthen the early childhood education system and expand programs to serve more children and families.

The Campaign for Children supports the steps taken in the Executive Budget and the recent Mayoral announcement to expand pre-kindergarten programs to all 4-year-olds, address deficiencies found by the Head Start audit and begin to stabilize the early childhood system:

  • $408 million to expand pre-kindergarten to over 70,000 4-year-olds.
  • $973,000 to reduce the parent fee for families enrolled in pre-kindergarten programs in EarlyLearn subsidized centers (as there is no parent fee in the other pre-k programs).
  • $3.8 million to increase staffing for enhanced oversight of EarlyLearn child care and Head Start.
  • $32.2 million in capital funds for the renovation of child care centers, including the correction of code violations and providing for handicapped accessibility.
  • $12.6 million for 1,740 low-income child care vouchers.
  • ACS will offer a more flexible funding structure to better meet the actual costs of providing high quality care.  Providers will be reimbursed on actual expenses, which will recognize certain fixed costs, and ease the financial burden brought on by the provider contribution.

 

To ensure child care system capacity is protected and that programs can provide safe, high-quality care, the following IMMEDIATE NEEDS must be funded in the FY16 Final Budget:

  • Stop the permanent loss of capacity for hundreds of children ages 0-4 by preserving the child care programs with leases expiring. The city currently has the leases for these sites and is not renewing them, resulting in the closure of at least 7 centers serving hundreds of children. At least one program, serving 116 children, has already closed.
  • Provide adequate compensation, health insurance and benefits for the workforce. Create salary parity with DOE staff.
  • Maintain 15 existing child care programs, with historical connections to families and communities.

 

To stabilize and strengthen the child care system, the following actions must also be taken in the Final Budget:

  • Expand capacity to serve more children ages 0-3.
  • Ensure 4-year-olds have wrap-around care before and after school.

 

For more information visit: www.CampaignforChildrenNYC.com

Facebook: Campaign for Children // Twitter: @ChildrenNYC #Campaign4Children

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