PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Shelby Lohr, Senior Policy Analyst at Day Care Council of New York
2:50:04
·
3 min
Shelby Lohr from the Day Care Council of New York provided testimony on the MyCity portal, focusing on challenges and recommendations for improving childcare enrollment processes. She highlighted the need for a more integrated, user-friendly system that simplifies access to various early childhood education programs.
- Identified issues with the current MyCity portal, including user design flaws and fragmented application processes for different childcare programs.
- Recommended creating a consumer-centered platform that streamlines the application process for all birth to 5 programming in NYC.
- Emphasized the importance of multilingual access, year-round enrollment, and better integration with childcare providers to fill open seats efficiently.
Shelby Lohr
2:50:04
Thank you, chair gutierrez.
2:50:06
The committee on technology for holding this hearing on the My City portal.
2:50:10
The day care council of New York is the membership organization of early childhood provider organizations in New York City.
2:50:16
We provide early care and education at over two hundred sites in neighborhoods across all 5 boroughs.
2:50:22
And the day care council of New York is a steering committee member of the campaign for children, and our recommendations in this testimony align with that coalition.
2:50:30
The city must continue to work to make enrolling in childcare simpler for families.
2:50:35
DCCNY has been working with our member patients to identify challenges facing family seeking childcare.
2:50:41
Providers have indicated several ways to improve the my portal system to simplify the enrollment process for families.
2:50:47
For parents seeking childcare, the portal contains some user design flaws.
2:50:50
In particular, the city direct families to the official MICE CITY portal for assistance, but then reroutes them to other agency websites.
2:50:58
For example, when families on public assistance are on the MICE CITY portal, they're referred to the Human Resource Administration, foster care families referred to their child wear welfare caseworker in Low Income family seeking vouchers are referred to the childcare enrollment application.
2:51:13
Further applications for 3 k and pre k for all are not part of the my city portal.
2:51:17
Instead, families seeking free school day 3 k or pre k must apply through DOE's my school's application.
2:51:24
At the same time, families interested in extended 3 k or pre k must first apply through my schools then separately through my city to confirm their eligibility.
2:51:31
Creating a more integrated and single platform can help the portal achieve its stated purpose while increasing accessibility for families.
2:51:39
Families interested in head start, early head start, and infant and toddler programs face a different pathway to care and must enroll directly with their specific program.
2:51:47
The infant and toddler programs submit enrollment applications to the DOE for eligibility approval.
2:51:52
The existence of multiple portals and multiple steps creates severe hurdles for families.
2:51:57
Providers have also had negative experiences with the DOE centralized enrollment process as it prevents them from accepting children on-site, resulting in open seats that they cannot fill.
2:52:06
This lack of flexibility is hindered to contracted ECE providers from enrolling families on-site and creating competition between contracted programs and those operated by the DOE be in school settings.
2:52:17
The day care council of New York are to the city to address these issues to ensure that all families have access to quality ECE care that meets their needs.
2:52:24
The MyCity portal shall be consumer centered and support a seamless application and enrollment process for all birth to 5 programming in New York City.
2:52:32
We therefore recommend the following to improve the MyCiti portal.
2:52:35
Create a consumer centered platform where the applicant need only know the age of the child they're seeking care for and provide basic demographics on residents and income levels of the household head.
2:52:44
Ensure the portal interfaces with providers that they can assist parents in applying and enrolling in services, like full day, full year, or school day, and school year, and connect them directly to open seats within a center or family childcare network.
2:52:56
Ensure multilingual access to the platform that the application is accessible to micro families.
2:53:01
This could include through offering a multilingual technical assistance phone number.
2:53:05
Ensure application and enrollment for all birth to 5 ECE services can continue all year round, and there are a number of other recommendations, but you will see them soon when we submit it, the testimony.
2:53:16
So much for your time.
Jennifer Gutiérrez
2:53:17
Shelby, please submit the testimony.
