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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Shanita Bowen, Chief Operating Officer of ECE On The Move, on Child Care Voucher Shortfall and Early Childhood Education Challenges
5:36:47
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118 sec
Shanita Bowen, COO of ECE On The Move, addresses the NYC City Council about the critical issues facing early childhood education, particularly the child care voucher shortfall and its impact on families and providers. She emphasizes the need for both state and city action to address the crisis in child care access and workforce stability.
- Highlights the immediate need for processing new voucher applications and closing the funding gap
- Describes the dilemma faced by providers with open slots in wrong districts and families unable to access care
- Calls for an overhaul of the early childhood education system in New York City to create a thriving workforce
Shanita Bowen
5:36:47
Thank you chair Stephens and to all of city council who support child care, children, families, and the child care workforce.
5:36:54
I'm Shanita Bowen, chief operating officer for ECE On The Move, serving early childhood educators in residential settings throughout New York City and the families that they serve.
5:37:08
We are largely black and brown women deeply committed to educating young children.
5:37:13
In January and and for years, we've boarded buses in Albany calling for better compensation and greater access to care.
5:37:23
When we heard about the voucher shortfall, it impacted all of us.
5:37:27
Parents and educators did their part.
5:37:29
We advocated to the state to save existing and new vouchers.
5:37:33
Now we turn to the city to close the gap.
5:37:37
We don't wanna argue over who is to blame.
5:37:40
Both the state and the city must respond to the needs of their communities.
5:37:45
ECE on the move is on the front line.
5:37:48
What do we tell families who just had children and need to return to work only to find that there's a wait list?
5:37:55
What guidance do we have for providers and to encourage them to stay open?
5:38:00
When there are no when there are no new vouchers that means that there are no new children and no income for that.
5:38:07
This is the child care crisis we're living in especially in New York City.
5:38:12
We have thousands of misplaced open slots in the wrong districts and a worsening assistance shortfall.
5:38:21
Early childhood education in New York City is already unstable.
5:38:25
No one wants to be a part of a workforce that is not thriving.
5:38:30
This is mismanagement.
5:38:32
We we need an overhaul now and we need to assure that not only recertification will happen but that new applications will be processed for families that need it.
5:38:44
Thank you.