Hi John,

Join us TODAY for a Pre-K Day of Action to stop the cuts and protect our children’s futures!

Governor Cuomo is proposing a minimum 20% cut to state funding for prekindergarten, preschool special education, child care and after-school services this year. These critical services are essential for children, families and the community and key to the successful reopening of public schools and sustaining local economies.

We know that across-the-board cuts will have a disproportionate and devastating impact on Black and Latinx children, children from immigrant families, children who are homeless, and children with developmental delays and disabilities.  These cuts would balance the budget at the expense of working families, and the educators and caregivers who work in these programs — mostly Black and Brown women who support our youngest learners each day. 

Without access to safe, affordable child care parents cannot work, and businesses cannot re-open and stay open. Further reductions in the state investment could stall, or even derail, the state’s economic recovery. 

We must protect the state’s early childhood programs — for prekindergarten, preschool special education, child care and after-school services — from the proposed 20 percent cuts, but we also need New York State to take steps now to secure these programs for the future.  

Join us in calling on New York State leaders to REJECT the Governor’s proposal to make across-the-board cuts to state funding for early childhood programs, and ask the wealthy to pay their fair share to secure a just and fair future for New York's children.

Email your State Legislators

Click below to send an email to your State Senator and Assemblymember urging them to to REJECT the Governor’s proposal to make across-the-board cuts to state funding for early childhood programs, and ask the wealthy to pay their fair share to secure a just and fair future for New York's children.

Social Media Toolkit

Below are some sample Tweets and posts. Share them on your social media channels with us today to elevate this critical issue.

Hashtags and Targets

Hashtags for today:

#ChildCareIsEssential

Twitter Handles: 

@CarlHeastie 

@AndreaSCousins

@AQE_NY 

 Sample Tweets

.@NYGovCuomo is proposing a minimum of 20% cuts to pre-K, after school, & preschool education services that are essential to children and the reopening process. @CarlHeastie @AndreaSCousins we need you to reject this proposal and protect communities. #ChildCareIsEssential

20% cuts will have devastating impacts on BIPOC, migrant & first gen students, and children with developmental disabilities. NYS can’t continue to balance the budget on the backs of students. @CarlHeastie @AndreaSCousins, stop the cuts and protect pre-K allocations! #ChildCareIsEssential 

Cuts across the board means $170M lost for pre-K, drastically impacting Black and Latinx children who are already experiencing high rates of COVID learning loss. We urge @CarlHeastie @AndreaSCousins to oppose the cuts and raise revenue on the ultra rich. #ChildCareISEssential

@CarlHeastie @AndreaSCousins we urge you to protect students and increase revenues to address the urgent needs of our state’s children and communities who have suffered during the pandemic while NY’s ultra rich have gotten richer. #ChildCareIsEssential

Many districts have already dipped into reserves and are deeply concerned about mid-year cuts. @CarlHeastie @AndreaSCousins, we need you to stop cuts to essential services in a time where students need more resources than ever, not less. #ChildCareIsEssential http://www.aqeny.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/FINAL-no-across-the-board-cuts-to-early-childhood-and-afterschool-10-21.pdf

We must protect the state’s early childhood programs — pre-K, preschool special education, child care and after-school services and secure them for the future! Read the letter advocates sent to @CarlHeastie & @AndreaSCousins urging them to stop the cuts! http://www.aqeny.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/FINAL-no-across-the-board-cuts-to-early-childhood-and-afterschool-10-21.pdf

Pre-K is left out of most COVID aid packages, making it urgent that districts be allowed to draw from current allocations to meet the extra costs during the duration of the pandemic.  We urge you to explicitly protect allocations for the future. @CarlHeastie @AndreaSCousins

Sample Facebook & Instagram Posts

Governor Cuomo is proposing a minimum of 20% cuts to early childhood programs that are essential to children’s development and the reopening process. We need Speaker of the Assembly Carl Heastie and Democratic Majority leader Andrea Stewart Cousins to reject this proposal and fight for our communities! #ChildCareIsEssential

Across the board cuts to early childhood programs will have devastating impacts on Black, Indigenous students of color, migrant, first generation, and students with developmental delays and disabilities. New York State cannot continue the cycle of balancing the budget on the back of students. We urge Assembly member Carl Heastie and Senator Andrea Stewart Cousins to protect students, pre-K allocations, and early childhood programs! #ChildCareIsEssential 

A minimum of 20% cuts across the board translates to $170 million lost for Pre-K, dramatically impacting high need communities and Black and Laxtinx students who are already experiencing rates of COVID learning loss. State leaders must protect students over the ultra rich and raise revenue to fund early childhood programs. #ChildCareIsEssential 

We urge Speaker of the Assembly Carl Heastie and Democratic Majority Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins to prioritize students by increasing revenues to protect the needs of our state’s children and communities who have suffered the most during the pandemic while NY’s millionaires and billionaires have gotten richer. #ChildCareIsEssential

Many districts have already dipped into reserves and are deeply concerned about mid year cuts. Pre-K and early childhood programs are valued resources that are essential to a child’s development and the reopening process. State leaders must protect these programs and prioritize the needs of students by rejecting Governor Cuomo’s proposal for cuts! #ChildCareIsEssential

Many districts have already dipped into reserves and are deeply concerned about mid-year cuts. Carl Heastie, Andrea Stewart Cousins:we need you to stop cuts to essential services in a time where students need more resources than ever , not less. #ChildCareIsEssential