NYC NOW - July 8, 2024: Midday News

Episode Date: July 8, 2024

The New York City area is under a heat advisory for Monday and Tuesday. Also, worker advocates in New Jersey say $100,000 in the new state budget isn't enough for education and enforcement of the new Domestic Worker Bill of Rights. Worker advocate organizations had lobbied for five times as much funding. Plus, as New York City families across the five boroughs struggle with child care costs, the low-cost and sometimes free “extended-day and year care” city program remains underutilized. Some providers say the application process is too complicated and lengthy. WNYC’s Michael Hill speaks with reporter Karen Yi to learn more about the obstacles to signing up.

Welcome to NYC Now. Your source for local news in and around New York City from WMYC. It's Monday, July 8th. Here's the midday news from Michael Hill. Muggy is the word this week with much of the New York City area under a heat advisory today and tomorrow. Some rain is expected later on, but Jay Engel with the National Weather Service says it will not make things much cooler. It actually feels worse about an hour later because you're going to be. you have a wet ground and it's even more humid right along the ground.

So we're going to stay mired in this warm, soupy, humid air mass for quite some time. The Rio field will reach the upper 90s today and tomorrow, with cooling centers open at least through today. And remnants of Hurricane Beryl could reach parts of New Jersey in this area by Thursday, bringing tropical moisture and possible thunderstorms. New Jersey worker advocates say $100,000 in the new state budget is not enough for education and enforcement. of the new domestic worker Bill of Rights.

Starting this month, New Jersey's house cleaners, home caretakers, and nannies are entitled to at least the state minimum wage. They'll also gain other protections that have been denied to domestic workers like guaranteed lunch breaks. Lou Kimmel directs new labor, which advocates for better worker conditions. Kimmel says organizations like his lobbied for five times as much funding. It's not really nearly enough. And if we're talking with 50,000 workers and around the whole,

state in New Jersey. That's basically a drop in the bucket. The advocates also worry state enforcement of complaints will suffer due to the lack of funding. 86 with Sunshine Now, a heat advisory beginning at noon today all the way till 8 o'clock tonight. Then another one tomorrow. Mostly sunny and 91 for a high today with a real feel closer to 96. They don't expect much relief from the light and variable wind. And then tomorrow may be even hotter with a real feel closer to 100. 86 with sunshine now. This is WNYC. Stay close. There's more after the break.

A New York City program offering low-cost or free child care to working-class families is being underused. Even as families across the fibrill say they cannot afford the cost of care. Providers say applying for the subsidized program known as extended day and year. year care is complicated and can take way too long. Join us now to discuss the obstacles is WNIC's Karen Yeh. Karen, what exactly is the extended day and year program and how does it compare to the city's overall preschool system? Well, it's part of the city's universal child's care program for three and four year olds, which we know as 3K and pre-K, but the big difference here is in the name, right? It's extended day, so it's care for longer. We're talking about eight to 10 hour days,

year-round, including summers, while regular 3K and pre-K runs for six hours and just the length of the school year. So there are some programs that could offer more hours if parents pay a fee. So under extended day and care, there's also seats for infants and toddlers, but those are fewer, and there are less options for that. But the extended day program is sort of a three-tier program. It's funded by federal grants, but the state sets standards, very strict rules for income and other work requirements for families to qualify.

here's what Nora Moran from United Neighborhood Houses had to say about it. It's a miracle that any kids get into these seats to begin with. It's a very hard process and one that we think is what's driving under utilization in those extended day, extended year programs. A lot of child care providers say while they get three or four applicants for regular 3K and pre-K seats, many of their extended day and extended year classrooms are actually under-enrolled. Karen, you've reported that most New Yorkers cannot afford the cost of child care, and it's driving a lot of young families to move out of the city. So why aren't these extended day seats? Why aren't they filled?

That's right. I mean, we know that there's definitely a huge need for affordable child care across the city. And we know that for working families, they need care that lasts a full workday and covers the summer. There's a disconnect here, right? And providers tell me that part of that is just the application process to get into this program. It's really convoluted and it could dissuade families if they even know that the program exists in the first place. Providers say it could take a month or more to hear back from the city who vets the applications. Brianna Watkins' Cole is with Henry Street Settlement. When families come to us, they're coming to us because they need to work.

They've either already started a job or they have a job lined up. And 30 days, 40 days, you know, that's a long time to wait when you already have something. And you can lose opportunities that fast. The city's Department of Education told me that they've actually worked on reducing these wait times from an application taking more than three months to now taking on average about two weeks. But there's also just a lot of paperwork involved for every member of your family to prove that you qualify. It can be difficult if your income is sporadic or say you're a gig worker working for Uber or Lyft. And this whole process is much more complicated if you don't speak English as your primary language.

Karen, how does someone qualify? What are the eligibility requirements? I would think about it like Goldilocks, right? Parents need to prove they don't earn more than the qualifying income, but they also can't earn too little. Otherwise, they would be eligible for other subsidized programs and be denied because they can get like Head Start or a state voucher. So if you earn $16 an hour, which is minimum wage,

and work at least 10 hours a week, you qualify. But you can also earn more than that. So a family of two needs to earn less than $73,000 a year to qualify. A family of four can earn less than $108,000 a year. Providers say families, you know, who qualify for these programs can range from, you know, if you're staying in shelter or living in temporary housing, to those who work more white-collar jobs, to those who work at Trader Joe's. And if you had trouble following any of these numbers and salary guidelines that I sent you,

you can always check our website Gothamist. And, you know, even if a parent is not working, they could be enrolled in an educational or vocational training program or be looking for work. You just have to prove all of this with paperwork. And if you are working, you need anywhere from two to 12 consecutive pay stubs. Karen, what is it? You touched on this briefly, but what is it that actually stops families from wanting to even apply? Well, some of it is that families don't know that this program exists. It's sort of a complicated part of the whole child care system in the city. But if you do have a three or four-year-olds and you think you qualify, it is a two-step process, right? First, you need to

apply for the early spring application process for the city's 3K and pre-K where all parents rank their choice of programs and then sort of decide which program in their community or where they work makes sense for them. If they get into that and if they get into an extended day seat, then you need to fill out a second application. This is the complicated one to prove that you are income or work eligible for that seat. And this can be an invasive process, right, for families, particularly who are vulnerable, either because maybe your immigration, status, maybe your living situation, you're in shelter, maybe you're a survivor of domestic violence. I spoke to Deborah Sue Lorenzen. She's with St. Nick's Alliance, which also runs an extended

daycare program. Maybe somebody in their family is undocumented. Maybe they tried the previous year, and it was a hassle and a half, and they don't want to do it again. People have all kinds of reasons why they won't entrust this kind of information to a public agency. When you have to respect that. You know, it's really about the city and these providers building trust with communities. And to be clear on the immigration piece, parents don't need to have legal immigration status. Only the child receiving services needs to be a citizen or have a green card. Karen, how does the city go about making people more aware? I think education and outreach is really, really key. As we've been reporting here, you know, there's so many different programs run by

different providers. Some programs are in DOE. Some programs are outside of DOE. There's different qualifying and eligibility criteria depending on your income, different hours. And so I think the city and providers all say, you know, we need to tell parents what their options are and what they qualify for. Cameron, you start talking about the challenges, the obstacles to applying and going through the process is making me wonder about the numbers for people actually getting approved for this program. Right. So the city's DOE told me that in the 2022 school year, there were more than 18,000 applications for extended day and year, and about 13,000 were approved. So that's the 72% acceptance rate.

Officials say typically applications are denied because a family doesn't meet the income requirements or there's some paperwork missing. And providers say that families, it's better if families work with a provider who knows how to navigate the application system because sometimes it could take several times and several attempts to actually get approved. I'm wondering now if people listening out there are saying, are there improvements coming to this? Yeah, I mean, I think as part of the budget deal, right, that was reached between Mayor Adams and the city council, they're going to overhaul the city's 3K and pre-K system. And as part of that,

they're going to put boots on the ground to help families, all families, navigating the existing programs. And providers say extended day and extended year programs, this is crucial to keep child care affordable in the city, keep families here in the city instead of fleeing. But outreach and resources to help families navigate the application, know what to submit. it is very, very key. Here's Moran again from United Neighborhood Houses. We fear that it's a vicious cycle, right? If you're not advertising the programs, no one's going to know about them, no one's going to come. It's going to look like no one wants them. And then you can say, well, let's cut this funding. And there's been plenty of studies, and we've reported here as well. Families do need

these services. Where can families apply, Karen? Well, families, first of all, can apply year-round, right? The extended-day application to prove your eligibility can be available online. You can visit a local settlement house or a provider to help navigate the application, or you can visit one of the Department of Education's family welcome centers. There's also an online portal that the Adams administration set up called My City, where you can apply online, and you can also take a little questionnaire to know if you are eligible and meet the requirements. Covered a lot of territory there. That's W&Y's Karen. Karen, thanks for your reporting. And as we said, there are lots more details on this program on our new site, Gothmas.

Thank you, Karen. Thanks, Michael. Thanks for listening. This is NYC now from WNYC. Be sure to catch us every weekday, three times a day, for your top news headlines and occasional deep dives. Also subscribe wherever you get your podcast. We'll be back this evening.