| Bloomberg Budget Restores Child Care Slots |
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| Friday, 06 May 2011 10:06 |
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Mayor Michael Bloomberg laid out his Executive Budget proposal for FY2011-12 which begins on July 1st. Much of the Mayor’s presentation focused on declining support from the State and Federal governments which have declined dramatically in this and prior year budgets. The big news for human service providers was a $40 million plan to restore 15,000 child care slots which had been targeted for elimination. “In FY 2002, the combined State and Federal share of the City’s budget was 36 percent. In FY 2012, the combined State and Federal share of the City’s budget will be only 27 percent. If the City continued to receive the same percentage of its total budget from State and Federal resources as it did in FY 2002, the City would have received an additional $6.1 billion in State and Federal support FY 2012.” “Specifically, the State budget for this year alone cut funding to New York City by a total of $1.8 billion that would have flowed through the City’s budget,” the Mayor continued. “The Executive Budget replaces $1.2 billion of the State cut with City funding. The State budget for this year also cut spending on State-provided services in the City – dollars that do not flow though the City’s budget – by $2.7 billion. Additionally, the State budget cuts triggered a loss of $2.2 billion in Federal matching dollars. Those three categories of impact add to a total State budget impact of a $6.8 billion cut for New York City due to the State budget.” The Mayor also noted that pension costs have grown from $1.3 billion in 2002 to $8.3 billion in 2012, a $7 billion increase in 10 years. On a positive note for human service providers, the Mayor’s announced that the City would reverse plans to eliminate 16,000 child care slots. A $40 million initiative would save approximately 15,000 of these slots in two ways. “All pre-school age children (approximately 4,500 children citywide) will be offered a child care slot at an ACS-contracted program, maximizing any vacant slots available whenever possible at a cost of $25 million,” said the Mayor’s budget presentation. “DYCD will expand its Out of School Time (OST) contracts to provide after-school care to approximately 10,500 school-age children at a cost of $15 million. One thousand children who will turn 13 in September will no longer need child care services.” Check back in next week's NYNP E-Newsletters for details on this and other Executive Budget proposals as providers and advocates begin to sift through budget documents. |
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