Friends,
With the costs and demands for child care higher than ever, far too many
New Yorkers are forced to choose between caring for their children and
pursuing their careers.
As a progressive city committed to supporting and uplifting working families,
we can and must do better.
That is why I am pushing New York City to provide on-site, subsidized
child care for its workers. The first step is
a bill I introduced this week into the City Council to explore providing on-site, subsidized child care for New York City’s municipal workers.
With average annual child care costs for infants reaching over $16,000
a year, hundreds of thousands of New York City employees would benefit
greatly from this convenient, quality, and affordable care.
But it would also go a long way in addressing the pervasive wage gap that
too many women face. When the costs of child care are high, like they
are in New York City, mothers are more likely to leave employment to care
for their children. When they do decide to return to the workforce, they
are often penalized and underpaid.
Providing these on-site options for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers
would be a game changer for the successes of our children, our parents,
and our city.
Sincerely,
Letitia James
New York City Public Advocate