This has been a heavy week. From the devastating mass shooting at a Denver high school to the assassination of a public figure, we are again reminded how often violence is tearing through our communities. As moms, our instinct is always the same: to hold our children closer and to fight for a future where they can grow up safely. We don’t have all the answers, but we know that violence can never be the answer.
And today, on September 11th, we’re reminded of the resilience New Yorkers showed in the face of unimaginable loss — how millions came together and proved that unity is possible even in the darkest of times. That’s the same spirit we need now as we push for change.
This edition of The First Word is about bringing New Yorkers together this fall as they choose their next mayor. This week, Moms First announced Child Care First NYC, our new campaign to put child care at the center of this election. Our mission is to make sure the city’s next mayor understands that child care isn’t a side issue that matters only to parents — because in an election focused on affordability, child care is the linchpin.
We plan to mobilize voters, work with business groups and policy leaders, and engage the candidates themselves not just to get this issue on the radar, but to guarantee it’s a First 100 Days priority for whoever wins.
Last week, we used this space to go deep on how a strategy of organizing on the local level can help foster progress on the national level. Let’s think of Child Care First NYC as the express-train version of that playbook.
The potential to shift the outlook for child care policy through this election is undeniable. This is New York City, after all — if you can make child care work here, you can do it anywhere.
An Election About Affordability Is an Election About Child Care.
Kate, a mom raising a family in New York City shared with Moms First that her family has spent over $125,000 on child care in just three years — more than they pay in rent for their NYC apartment.
“The cost of child care is an absolute crisis,” she told us. “We live paycheck to paycheck, still paying off debts from unpaid leave, putting more than $3,000 every month into child care. I want to work. I want to advance in my career. I deserve to do that and know my children are cared for. No one should have to go into debt just to work.”
Kate is absolutely right and her story is powerful. It’s the daily reality for parents across New York City.
But in reality, no matter where you live in America, child care is getting harder and harder to afford. In a place like New York City where the cost of living is already skyrocketing, we’re reaching a boiling point. These numbers speak for themselves:
- A New York City family pays an average of $26,000 for child care. Seriously, $26k. Every single kid. Every single year.
- It’s getting worse fast — with child care costs in New York City increasing 79% since 2019, outpacing inflation and wages.
- One study found that a whopping 80% of NYC families can’t afford child care, even for just one child. It’s no wonder that families with young children are now twice as likely to move away from the city.
- Most families can’t even find child care even if they could afford it. Seven out of 10 kids live in neighborhoods without enough child care options. And one-quarter of child care workers — primarily women of color — live in poverty.
$23 Billion Lost — and Counting
An unaffordable, inaccessible child care system is a broken child care system. And that doesn’t just hurt parents with young kids. A broken child care system is devastating to the entire economy.
In 2022 alone, New York City lost an estimated $23 billion because of the cost of child care forcing parents to leave the workforce or downshift their careers. To put that into perspective, that’s more than the entire budget of NYC’s MTA system.
So when we hear the mayoral candidates talk about affordability, we’re listening. And our response is clear: You can’t address affordability if you don’t fix child care.
That’s what this campaign is all about. Here’s how it’s going to work:
First, we’re asking New Yorkers to sign the petition calling on mayoral candidates to commit to make child care a priority in their first 100 days in office. We want to show the pundits and the candidates themselves that this issue can swing the election, and people are desperate for real solutions.
Behind the scenes, we’re also engaging with the city’s business leaders to come out as champions of child care as a workforce imperative. Because in New York City, like in every city, nothing moves unless business is on board. This work builds on the playbook we’ve developed in New Jersey and at the national level to make the economic case for child care and bring business along as advocates.
A Movement Bigger Than a Moment
Our team has plenty of ideas of what it could look like to prioritize child care in the next Mayor’s first 100 days. The good news is we don’t have to start from scratch. We could build on the success of NYC’s universal 3-K and pre-K programs to expand access to free child care for 2-year olds.
For as little as $300 million, NYC could offer free child care for 20% of the city’s 2-year olds — a meaningful step on the path to universal child care. We also want to see policy action that ensures child care workers are fairly paid and expands access to center and home-based care settings.
We’re directly challenging candidates to engage on an issue that voters care deeply about. It demands them to bring their solutions to the table. In fact, when it comes time for the candidates to hit the debate stage, we’ll organize to make sure the candidates get asked about child care, just as we successfully did before last summer’s presidential debate.
At the end of the day, this is so much more than a moment for child care. We’re building a movement. We’re asking people to raise their hands to say “I’m a child care voter.” And we’ll spend the final days of this election amplifying their voices and showing that moms (and our allies) have the power to change more than the conversation.
Together, one election at a time, we can help shape the future.
Help Get New Yorkers to Sign Our Petition
This is a numbers game. The more New Yorkers we can get to speak out, the more likely our message will get through to the candidates for mayor.
So forward this email along to every New Yorker you know — tell them to sign the petition right now to call on the mayoral candidates to make child care a First 100 Days priority.
The next 44 days until the general election will be a sprint. Stay tuned to this space for periodic updates, but be sure to follow the Moms First accounts in the days ahead, if you want to follow along with our progress in real time. More soon!
From Our Community to the National Stage
Every story you share with us matters. We take great care to make sure those stories are heard. Last week, we told you about one mom in our community whose story ended up in USA Today. This week, we’re thrilled to share another story. This time about Miya, a member of our Moms First community, who bravely opened up about leaving the workforce because of unaffordable child care and rigid workplace policies. Miya’s story is now on the national stage in USA Today.
We’re so grateful for moms like Miya who use their voices to not only inspire us, but to shine a light on the impossible choices parents are forced to make.
We can’t solve a crisis if it stays hidden. We need these stories reaching every corner of America to drive the change moms deserve.
- Article: New Mexico to become the first state to offer universal child care (NBC News)
- Article: The gender pay gap is getting wider, reversing progress (Axios)
- Resource: Child Care Gap Assessment – Interactive Map by State (University of Nebraska System)
This fight has always been about more than one election. It’s about building a country that finally works for moms. I’m so thankful you’re with me — because together, we are unstoppable.
For our future,
Reshma Saujani