Friend,

As a mother of two boys, I know from firsthand experience how difficult it is to find consistent child care for my kids. 

I need to share some numbers with you,  Friend,  that were frankly shocking to me. Our daycare workers are in crisis. Due to longer hours, new equipment, and various new costs, over 1500 daycare providers had to close their doors in 2021 alone. The current wage for daycare workers sits at $15.29 per hour, just over 29 cents above the minimum wage in the five boroughs, meaning that daycare providers have struggled to retain staff. These closures and lack of employees have resulted in 64% of children living in “child care deserts,” or areas where demand for child care exceeds availability. Most folks do not know how bad this situation is, so we have to get the word out. Can you share this with a friend?

This crisis is not limited to child care availability. We need to address the astronomical cost of daycare and infant care in New York, a service that is necessary for most working families. The average cost of daycare center services is $18,746 a year, or approximately 65% of the median income of lower-income families. And according to a December 2020 report from the Citizens Committee for Children New York, 93% of New York City’s families can’t afford the current rate for center-based care.

If you made it through this email, thank you! I know it was a long one, but this is too important to rush through. If you are as upset with these numbers as I am, the time to act is now. I need you,  Friend,  to share my campaign for Universal Child care as widely as possible. This bill plans to get $5 billion out to cover 93% of families within 18 months. 

Friend,  I’m fighting tooth and nail in Albany for our children and for the folks who devote their work to them. Can you chip in today to help me help the amazing child care workers in our lives? 

Thank you for your continued support  Friend . There’s no such thing as someone else’s child, this is all of our responsibility. We all win when we all win.

In solidarity, 

Jessica