Immigration advocates have welcomed a new childcare assistance program that will, for the first time in New York City’s history, provide childcare assistance to Caribbean and other low-income families with children whose immigration status makes them ineligible for other, federally funded subsidized childcare.
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New York City Mayor Eric Adams, earlier this week, announced the initiative, known as “Promise NYC,” saying the city will partner with four community-based organizations (CBOs), each with deep ties to immigrant communities in their respective boroughs.
Adams said the Center for Family Life will serve families in Brooklyn, Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation (NMIC) will serve families in the Bronx and Manhattan, La Colmena will serve families in Staten Island, and the Chinese American Planning Council will serve families in Queens.
Liza Schwartzwald – senior manager of Immigration Policy at New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), an umbrella organization representing over 200 immigration advocacy and policy groups in New York State – said “Promise NYC” will provide free or low-cost childcare to Caribbean and other families with children who are six weeks to 13 years old.
“Access to childcare allows New York families, local communities and our city’s economy to function,” she told the Caribbean Media Corporation on Thursday.
“Children – regardless of immigration status – need quality early childhood education and care to thrive, and families rely on childcare to work, go to school, and so much more.
“For too long, immigrant New Yorkers who lack legal status have been unable to access federal and state subsidies for childcare,” Schwartzwald added. “Newly arrived asylum seekers have also had difficulty accessing childcare, exacerbating the challenges of integrating into their new city.”
By investing US$10 million in “Promise NYC,” she said “New York City is giving all New Yorkers a greater opportunity to build their lives without sacrificing their financial welfare or the stability of their family.”
Schwartzwald thanked Mayor Adams and other New York City officials for “championing inclusionary and accessible childcare.”
“We look forward to working with the administration and all of the community-based organizations involved to ensure that ‘Promise NYC’ is a successful programme, and will be advocating for its expansion in the years to come.”
Adams said “Promise NYC” is “a promise kept” that was first made earlier this year when he released “Accessible, Equitable, High-quality, Affordable: A Blueprint for Childcare & Early Education in New York City.”
In that initiative, the mayor announced plans to increase access to subsidized childcare for undocumented Caribbean and other children, and others, ineligible for existing programs due to restrictive US federal immigration rules.
Adams said that the timing of the launch of “Promise NYC” will be particularly beneficial to the newly arrived asylum seekers, including Haitians and Venezuelans, “helping to ensure parents can pursue stable housing and gainful employ while their children are cared for safely.”
The mayor said he expects “Promise NYC” to support at least 600 children over the next six months.
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