Advocates Protest Proposed City Child Care Cuts
To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.
Then come back here and refresh the page.
Lawmakers and advocates protested Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposed child-care cuts by City Hall Wednesday.
They say the city's cuts will affect subsidies for nearly 17,000 children this year in addition to the loss of 14,000 child care slots since 2006.
"If these cuts are in this budget come July 1 or June 30 when this budget is coming before us in the City Council, I am prepared to vote against this budget," said Brooklyn Councilman Stephen Levin.
"Everything that is important to the mayor will be in the budget. We will have money for everything that he deems important," said Brooklyn Councilman Jumaane Williams. "If the 17,000 child daycare slots are not in the budget, it's because he did not deem it important."
Noting that the Administration for Children’s Services is facing a $90 million shortfall, a city spokesperson said in a statement, "The city recognizes that these service reductions will present challenges for the families who are impacted and we are working with parents to help them find alternative child care.”
The deadline for the mayor and the City Council to reach a budget deal is June 30.