EXCERPTS
SUNSET PARK, BROOKLYN — Of the 5,000 or so babies born in Sunset Park and Windsor Terrace over two years, only 93 of them will be able to get a spot in a local child care center, a study found.
A study released as part of Comptroller Scott Stringer's proposal to overhaul the city's childcare system found that Sunset Park and Windsor Terrace, which were linked together in the analysis, have some of the least childcare options in New York City. The neighborhoods landed at number 10 in a list of those with the most limited childcare capacity for children under 2 years old.
Stringer, who met with childcare professionals to discuss the results Wednesday in Brooklyn, said the analysis shows why his plan "NYC Under 3" is needed to provide working families affordable child care. The plan would let 34,000 new children into child care facilities by expanding who is supported by city-backed care, he said.
"Quality, affordable child care must be a fundamental right for every family, not just a privileged few, so every child in this city has a bright future," Stringer said when the results were released in May. "Government has ignored the crisis in child care for too long and we must act now. New York City should drive a child care revolution, put working families first and establish a model for the nation to follow"
Sunset Park and Windsor Terrace were far from the only Brooklyn neighborhoods that Stringer identified as "child care deserts."
Seven of the 11 communities citywide that have more than 10 times as many infants as available child care spaces were in Brooklyn. This included spots — like Bushwick, Crown Heights South, Prospect Lefferts, and Wingate — where there is no center-based capacity for infants at all.
And, the neighborhoods with the most access to daycare facilities were among the richest, Stringer found. All six of the city's neighborhoods with a median incomes above $100,000 were in the top third of neighborhoods with the most accessibility to childcare.
Stringer contended that his plan would solve this by putting $500 million over five years toward constructing and renovating childcare facilities. The program would give start-up and expansion grants to childcare providers who can add extra seats for infants and toddlers, giving preference to those with limited options.