Council hearing spotlights city plan to expand early‑childhood seats as agencies promise workforce steps
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Summary
City officials and CUNY told council members the administration will pilot 2,002 2K seats this fall while building credential and apprenticeship pathways; witnesses urged immediate pay parity, clearer vacancy data and special‑education capacity.
City and education officials on Thursday outlined steps to grow New York’s early‑childhood workforce as the administration prepares to launch 2,002 seats for 2‑year‑olds this fall and expand further in 2027.
Emmy Liss, executive director of the Mayor’s Office of Child Care and Early Childhood Education, told the City Council subcommittee that the administration is building a “comprehensive plan for how we will grow, sustain, and support the child care workforce,” including career ladders, mentorship and partnership work with CUNY and employers. “Child care work is essential work. It is skilled work, and it is deeply impactful work,” Liss said.
The administration and the Department of Education said they will rely on a combination of applications, enrollment patterns and a new survey of families to locate new 3K and 2K seats. DOE deputy chancellor Simone Hawkins said the department reconciles self‑reported vacancy data with budget positions and, for the most recent quarter, counted roughly 78 vacancies in contracted centers — a point that drew audible reaction in the hearing room.
CUNY officials described existing pipelines. Donna Anderson, executive director of CUNY’s Early Childhood Professional Development Institute, said the system operates an Aspire registry and a career development network that reached thousands of candidates and trainers. “We have piloted an apprenticeship that drew 400 applicants for 30 slots,” Anderson said, describing career‑integrated approaches the city aims to scale. Ashley Thompson, CUNY’s university dean for education, said CUNY’s 2025 enrollment includes about 3,613 education students, with 862 bachelor’s and 1,143 master’s students in education programs.
Council members said the city needs better, more consistent vacancy data and pressed agencies for specificity about how many teachers must be recruited to meet the 2K/3K expansion. Officials stressed that many seats will be supplied by existing licensed providers converting classrooms, but that agencies will work directly with partners to identify where net new hiring is required.
The hearing also flagged major outstanding political and fiscal questions. Providers and advocacy groups used the public comment period to press for immediate pay parity between Department of Education teachers and community‑based organization (CBO) staff, faster contract payments, and a wage‑subsidy or stabilization fund to prevent provider closures as the system expands. Advocates warned that expansions without funding to stabilize providers risk losing existing capacity and leaving children unserved.
The subcommittee requested follow‑up data from agencies on vacancy trends, clearance timelines for staff approvals, and the family survey methodology. Lawmakers also scheduled a follow‑up joint hearing with the Health Committee to look specifically at DOHMH clearances and timelines. The hearing concluded with agency commitments to return with more detailed projections and implementation timelines.
