Over 80% of NYC families cannot afford childcare amid soaring costs: Report
NEW YORK - The cost of child care in NYC has hit astronomic new heights, according to a new report.
The 5Boro Institute report claims that over 80% of New York City families cannot afford childcare.
"A family would need to make more than $300,000 a year on average to afford childcare in NYC," said Grace Rauh, Executive Director of 5Boro Institute.
As a result, families across the city say they are being driven away due to the cost of raising a child.
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"It's almost like paying another mortgage," one parent told FOX 5 NY.
According to Rauh, the childcare sector in New York City is in crisis on all fronts.
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"Childcare providers are really struggling to make ends meet. so, this is a case where both sides of the equation, there's not very much room for folks to give," Rauh said. "Childcare workers are among the lowest paid employees of any sector in New York City. Parents, meanwhile, are really stretching their dollars as far as they can go to pay for childcare, and that's even when they can access childcare."
When it comes to affordability, many parents say, it's just not there.
FOX 5 NY spoke to one family where the husband was working two jobs to cover the cost of their son's daycare, a daycare that's 30 minutes away from their home and is costing them $1,700 a month.
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Almost a decade ago, New York City made universal pre-K a reality, with 3-K next in line, but the program has seen major cuts recently.
The Adams administration has slashed the city’s preschool budget by about $170 million in recent months because of empty seats.
"The issue is not that people don’t want it, parents across the city have made decisions to have kids and stay in New York because they knew they were promised free 3-K and Pre-K and now they just feel like the rug is being pulled out from under them," says Rebecca Bailin, Executive Director of New Yorker United for Child care.
"Our report is calling on the city to focus on outreach to families in a much more concerted way. There are so many families across New York that may not know that 3-K is an option for their child, that may need some handholding in terms of how to apply, so we think there's a lot more that the city should be doing in terms of outreach," said Rauh.