Res. No. 358

Resolution calling upon the City of New York to eliminate the disparity in compensation paid to teachers, staff and directors at community-based EarlyLearn NYC centers, as compared to the compensation paid to Department of Education instructors for similar employment.

By Council Members Cumbo, Treyger, Levin, Kallos, Lander, Cohen, Constantinides, Cornegy, King, Rose, Grodenchik and Miller

                     Whereas, According to the Center for Public Education (“CPE”), an initiative of the National School Boards Association, a large and growing body of research shows that investing in high-quality early childhood education yields benefits for children, schools and communities; and

Whereas, The CPE describes the short and long-term benefits of high-quality Pre-K programs, as well as the potential cost savings and benefits to communities, with the long-term cost benefits of such programs ranging from an estimated $2 to $4 for every dollar spent; and

Whereas, As discussed in a November 2015 report by the Office of Public Advocate Letitia James, entitled “Policy Report: Child Care in New York City, Part II, Investing in Child Care” (PA Report), “the research on the relationship of child care to labor force outcomes is clear: affordable and quality care is positively linked to economic and social mobility”; and

Whereas, The PA Report further informs us that “the cost of child care in New York City is increasing by an average of $1,612 each year [and] the average family spends $16,250 per year for an infant, $11,648 for a toddler and $9,620 for a school-age child,  making child care unaffordable for many low and middle income families”; and

Whereas, The City of New York provides free and subsidized early care and education to young children through the Administration for Children’s Services’ (ACS) EarlyLearn NYC programs, as well as through Department of Education (DOE) pre-kindergarten (pre-K) programs; and

Whereas, EarlyLearn NYC includes center-based and home-based child care programs, which serve children from six-weeks through four-years-old; Head Start programs, which serve children ages three through four-years-old; and pre-kindergarten programs for four-year-olds offered in partnership with DOE under the Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) program; and

Whereas, UPK programs are located throughout New York City public schools and DOE-operated pre-K centers, as well as in charter schools and community-based organizations (CBOs); and

Whereas, Mayor Bill de Blasio ran for office on a platform that included expanded pre-K and early childhood programs, and has in fact worked very hard to implement this plan; and

Whereas, The Mayor’s pre-K expansion efforts have been very successful, with current pre-K enrollment at nearly 70,000 students, more than triple the approximately 20,000 students enrolled prior to Mayor de Blasio’s Administration; and

Whereas, However, the PA Report states that EarlyLearn NYC providers have seen their capacity drop from 48,971 seats in 2012 (the year before EarlyLearn NYC was implemented) to 35,256 slots in 2015, and has dropped even further to 32,344 as of March 2016; and

Whereas, The rate of compensation for pre-K teachers employed by the DOE is much higher than the rate of compensation paid to EarlyLearn NYC teachers who work at CBOs; and

Whereas, Capital New York (CNY) reported on November 30, 2015 that “the pay disparity issue has divided many…and threatens to damage the continued expansion of the program in future years”; and

Whereas, Further, the CNY article reports that the disparities are vast and that “DOE pre-K teachers can make up to $91,000 with a master’s degree and 20 years of experience, while CBO teachers with identical credentials can earn up to $50,000”; and

Whereas, According to the DOE’s teacher salary schedule effective May 1, 2017, a DOE-employed teacher of pre-K or any other grade receives a salary in a range from $54,000 for a first-step new teacher, rising to as much as $113,762 after 22 years with a master’s degree and 30 additional credits; and

Whereas, A March 2016 press release by Campaign for Children states that “[a] certified teacher with five years of experience in a community based organization contracted by the city’s Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) makes $41,700, while a teacher with the same credentials and experience in the public schools earns about $17,000 more…[and] with 10 years of experience, this gap widens to $34,000”; and

Whereas, CBO providers have said that they have lost students and some of their best teachers to DOE schools; and

Whereas, DNAinfo reports in a January 2016 article that “[m]any programs have seen a brain drain of their best teachers….[as] the DOE [is] not only higher paying, but gives teachers off during the summer and shorter days”; and

Whereas, The PA Report recommends that the City should ensure immediate pay equity between DOE and ACS EarlyLearn NYC Directors, Assistant Directors, Family Child Care Coordinators and teachers; and

Whereas, Further, in April 2017, Mayor de Blasio announced DOE’s 3-K for All initiative, which also includes shifting management of all EarlyLearn programs from ACS to DOE, but there has been no announcement as yet regarding pay parity between pre-K/3-K and EarlyLearn teachers; and

Whereas, Accordingly, the salaries for the two groups of dedicated teachers should be the same, as the work is the same and the benefits to children are the same; now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the City of New York to eliminate the disparity in compensation paid to teachers, staff and directors at community-based EarlyLearn NYC centers, as compared to the compensation paid to Department of Education instructors for similar employment.

LS# 3483/ Res 1076-2016

LS# 999, 6411

MB/JA

5/17/18