Make Child Care Guaranteed

Summary

Podcast Summary: No One Is Coming to Save Us – Episode: Make Child Care Guaranteed

Introduction

In the poignant episode titled "Make Child Care Guaranteed" from Season 5 of No One Is Coming to Save Us, hosted by veteran reporter Gloria Rivera from Lemonada Media, listeners are taken deep into the heart of America’s childcare crisis. This episode, released on May 1, 2025, sheds light on the multifaceted challenges parents face, particularly in major cities like New York, and showcases the grassroots movements striving to create a unified roadmap for a sustainable and equitable childcare system.

The Broken Child Care System

Gloria Rivera opens the episode by highlighting the pervasive issues plaguing the American childcare system. She emphasizes that the system is "broken" due to outdated mindsets that uphold the status quo, preventing necessary reforms. Rivera introduces the Baynham Family Foundation’s We Vision Early Ed initiative, which aims to revolutionize childcare by advocating for:

1. Early Learning: Shifting the perception of when learning begins, ensuring care is accessible from birth.
2. Inclusivity: Guaranteeing access for all children ages 0 to 5, irrespective of socioeconomic status.
3. Affordability: Redefining childcare costs and funding mechanisms to alleviate financial burdens on families.
4. Quality and Governance: Establishing high-quality standards and inclusive decision-making processes involving educators, parents, and community leaders.

Personal Stories: The Struggle of Affording Child Care

The episode delves into the personal struggles of parents like Rebecca Bailin and Caroline Furman to illustrate the real-life implications of an inadequate childcare system.

At [02:26], Rebecca Bailin discusses the exorbitant costs of childcare in California, stating, “Right now having two kids go to daycare two days a week in Seattle. The cost of it will be more than my take-home pay.” This sentiment echoes the financial strain many parents endure, leading to difficult choices such as staying home from work or accruing unmanageable debt.

Caroline Furman, a mother of two from Washington Heights, shares her ordeal in securing a 3K spot for her child. At [12:24], she recounts receiving a rejection letter despite assurances of availability, expressing, “Oh, my God. It's the worst feeling.” Such experiences underscore the inconsistency and unreliability of current public childcare provisions.

Organizing for Change: New Yorkers United for Child Care

Central to the episode is the inspiring narrative of Rebecca Bailin, founder of New Yorkers United for Child Care. Established in November 2023, the organization rapidly mobilized over 6,000 New Yorkers within six months to combat proposed budget cuts to Pre K and 3K programs. At [13:58], Bailin reveals, “We launched at this party, at this bar during the day, made it kid-friendly... and we raised like $20,000 in small donations. 200 parents and their kids showed up.”

The collective action spearheaded by New Yorkers United for Child Care was instrumental in halting the $400 million budget cuts planned by Mayor Eric Adams, ensuring that "every parent eventually who applied got their 3K seat that they were promised." Bailin emphasizes the power of organized parent advocacy, stating, “by organizing this constituency, you can make real, real powerful change and a real impact.”

The Financial Reality of Child Care in NYC

Rivera provides a stark comparison of childcare costs to family incomes. At [10:09], she explains, “Everywhere else across this country, childcare in New York City is wildly expensive, averaging $23,000 per year per kid. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, childcare is considered affordable if it costs families no more than 7% of their income. That means New York City parents would need to be bringing in about $334,000 per year for things to feel affordable.”

This disparity highlights the unsustainable financial pressure on families, forcing many to forego dual incomes or essential savings to afford quality childcare.

Expanding the Vision: From 3K to Universal Child Care

Building on their success in preserving Pre K and 3K programs, New Yorkers United for Child Care aims to extend services to younger children, advocating for "universal public child care" from birth to five years old. At [31:17], Bailin outlines their five-year roadmap:

1. Year One: Make 3K and Pre K truly universal across NYC without rejections or waitlists.
2. Year Two: Expand these programs statewide, ensuring accessibility for all three and four-year-olds.
3. Years Three and Four: Introduce care for infants and two-year-olds, making child care from 0 to 5 a guaranteed system.

Bailin underscores the economic and social benefits of such expansion, noting that "if you have kids under 6 in New York state, you are 40% more likely to leave the state," resulting in a loss of $23 billion in economic activity in 2022 alone.

Community Impact: Preserving Neighborhoods and Cultures

The episode also touches on the broader societal impacts of inadequate childcare, such as the displacement of culturally vibrant communities. Caroline Furman shares her concern about the exodus of Hispanic families from Washington Heights due to soaring rents and childcare costs, leading to a "dramatic exodus" and a "48% drop in residents under 18 between 2000 and 2020."

International Comparisons and Feasibility

Gloria Rivera draws parallels with other countries that have successfully implemented universal childcare, citing Belgium, Denmark, Lithuania, Norway, and Slovenia as examples where childcare from birth is guaranteed. She also references the U.S. Armed Services' childcare system as a model of effective, federally subsidized care that is both affordable and high quality.

Personal Transformation and Hope for the Future

Through intimate narratives, the episode illustrates how guaranteed childcare can revolutionize lives. Caroline Furman shares her personal sacrifices, such as turning down prestigious job opportunities and shelving creative projects, highlighting the profound impact of childcare insecurity on personal and professional growth. However, the organized push for universal childcare offers hope for reclaiming lost time and fostering community resilience.

Conclusion: A Call to Action

The episode concludes with a resounding call to action, emphasizing that achieving universal childcare is not an unattainable dream but a feasible goal demonstrated by existing models and the success of New Yorkers United for Child Care. Rivera passionately urges listeners to support the movement, asserting, “Every child from birth to five deserves guaranteed care. No exceptions, no barriers, no waiting lists. Period.”

Notable Quotes

• Gloria Rivera [01:19]: “The child care crisis is not just another headline. It's a daily struggle playing out in millions of homes across the country.”
• Rebecca Bailin [07:49]: “You just have to make it till my kid is three. Otherwise, it's tens of thousands of dollars I wasn't expecting or budgeting for.”
• Caroline Furman [12:24]: “I've also done community organizing. And so I just felt really like, how is there no one accountable? There's gotta be.”
• Rebecca Bailin [33:10]: “We know how to do this. We know what it costs. We know who benefits, everyone. And we know the next steps we need to take.”

Final Thoughts

No One Is Coming to Save Us effectively captures the urgency and complexity of America’s childcare crisis through compelling personal stories and highlighting the transformative potential of organized advocacy. With insightful discussions and actionable plans presented by leaders like Rebecca Bailin, the episode not only raises awareness but also empowers listeners to join the fight for a childcare system that truly supports all families.

Transcript

[Gloria Rivera]

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[Gloria Rivera]

Child care system is broken. It's held back by outdated mindsets that maintain the status quo. The Baynham Family foundation is deeply committed to early childhood and tackling this challenge head on in partnership with those most impacted by the system through their We Vision Early Ed initiative, they are moving beyond old ways of thinking and prevalent narratives that keep us from making the ideal childcare system real. They advocate for bold mindset shifts around when learning begins, who needs childcare, what it costs and who pays for it, how quality is defined and who should be involved in governance and decision making. Learn more and get involved by visiting wevision earlyed.org Lemonada Today is the day. I just got the email that every single parent dreads to get from their daycare and it is the email that tells us what our annual tuition rate.

[Rebecca Bailin]

Increase is going to be.

[Gloria Rivera]

Okay, let's talk about child care and how much it is in California. How do people afford child care? Right now having two kids go to daycare two days a week in Seattle. The cost of it will be more than my take home pay.

[Rebecca Bailin]

My son was accepted to local school, so God bless.

[Gloria Rivera]

Thank you. But I know some of my friends.

[Rebecca Bailin]

They didn't get the schools that they wanted. If you don't have childcare, then you now have to stay home. If you have to stay home, then you can't work. If you can't work, you have no income.

[Gloria Rivera]

Parents we know the child care crisis is not just another headline. It's a daily struggle playing out in millions of homes across the country. We are juggling drop offs and pickups every day. Often we are suddenly in deep negotiation with toddlers just to get out the door in time for daycare, only to find, huh, an unexpected closure. When childcare works, it works. But when it doesn't, when just one piece of the puzzle isn't there, the whole precarious arrangement comes tumbling down. We are powerful and we are capable of saving ourselves. The battleground for change is happening right now on social media, at City hall and on the playground between pushes on the swing. I'm Gloria Rivier and this is no One Is Coming to Save Us. A show about the childcare crisis in America. Can you believe we're now in season five? When I think about this show, I keep coming back to this one thought, the same one that hangs over every parent's head. Who is going to hold my baby when I'm not there? Who is going to show as much love as I would? Where am I going to find that kind of care? And how am going to afford it? Five seasons in, those questions still sit right at the heart of everything we're exploring. This season we're talking about what the child care system should and urgently needs to look like. Whether we're at the ballot box or a local PTA meeting, we need to be unified in what we're asking for. So here is a list of our demands. One, childcare needs to be guaranteed from ages 0 to 5. That's care you can count on during the years it matters the most. Two, it has to be high quality childcare programs need to nurture children and pay teachers enough to sustain this important work. Three, it's gotta be accessible. No more confusing mazes and financial hoops to get the right care. And four, childcare needs to be truly supportive. That means going beyond just the minimum educational requirements for kids. It should also support families basic needs like housing, healthcare and employment. Sounds good, right? Well, it's actually more attainable than you might think because real people, parents, teachers and experts are already rolling up their sleeves and working to make it happen. What would it mean to have care for your kid from ages 0 to 5? Someone to hold your baby and your family no matter what you make, where you live or whether or not you're employed. This week we're zooming in on the people fighting for guaranteed child care. Mayor Adams has made almost $400 million in cuts to Pre K and 3K programs. Today, parents are rallying outside city hall over proposed budget cut that would impact education for some of the city's youngest students.

[Rebecca Bailin]

I want 3k. Universal 3k. I want 3k.

[Gloria Rivera]

Universal three k. Raising a child in New York City is tough. Schlepping a stroller up and down subway steps, traversing city blocks with groceries stuffed in and hanging off said stroller, and using your building's laundry room to clean what feels like thousands of pounds of teeny, tiny clothes. Don't even get me started on those unanticipated middle ages of the night, ugh, we gotta change the sheets moments. All of that while trying to fit a growing family into ever smaller, ever more expensive apartments. Things got even harder when last year, Mayor Eric Adams slashed funding for 3K and Pre K, the city's free preschool programs for 3 and 4 year olds.

[Caroline Furman]

@ a time when we should be.

[Gloria Rivera]

Pouring more dollars into education, into early.

[Rebecca Bailin]

Childhood education, into our public schools, he.

[Gloria Rivera]

Finds every reason and excuse to pull back. The idea that the mayor would take.

[Caroline Furman]

Away something that is helpful, beloved, and represents our values is unconscionable.

[Gloria Rivera]

Rebecca Bailyn, who founded New Yorkers United for Childcare, says that for most New York City families, securing a pre K or 3K spot is more than a want. It's a financial need. It's what parents are counting on to make their family budgets work.

[Rebecca Bailin]

You have parents who are like, okay, I just have to make it till my kid is 3 years old. Just have to make it so my kid is three. And then you have to say, oh God, the mayor's making cuts. I hope my kid actually gets into 3k. Otherwise it's tens of thousands of dollars a year I wasn't expecting or budgeting for. And there's that real sense that this city doesn't want us. Do working, middle class people get to live here is it for us?

[Gloria Rivera]

New York City offers 3K and pre K for the city's 3 and 4 year olds. It's not perfect, but it's highly valued. And it's been a battle to defend it from budget cuts. There is exciting work happening on the ground right now, thanks to New Yorkers United for Child Care, an organization founded by Rebecca Balin. This group has an ambitious goal to protect pre k and 3k and eventually expand free child care to include all kids from birth to age five. Their next big step is aging down to two care child care for two year olds. Rebecca is a natural born organizer. She remembers leading a walkout against the Iraq war as a high school freshman that set her on a course for organizing professionally too. She's been doing this work for over a decade, pushing for better public transit In New York City, running the New York Tax the Rich campaign and advocating for a child tax credit state and nationwide. Hi, Rebecca, how are you?

[Rebecca Bailin]

I'm great.

[Gloria Rivera]

I met up with her over Zoom back in February. How far along are you?

[Rebecca Bailin]

25 weeks.

[Gloria Rivera]

Rebecca is expecting her first kid, so she's thinking about her own childcare planning for the first time. But thanks to all of her organizing experience, she's well aware of the challenges that parents in New York City are facing right now.

[Rebecca Bailin]

It is very hard. There's so much that the city has to offer that other places don't. Right. We have public transportation. We actually have really good public schools. We have parks and playgrounds. Right. There's all these things that make it a great community. But the cost of living is out of hand. The sort of twin disasters, frankly, are the cost of child care and the cost of housing. In New York City and state, like.

[Gloria Rivera]

Everywhere else across this country, childcare in New York City is wildly expensive, averaging $23,000 per year per kid. Now, according to the U.S. department of Health and Human Services, childcare is considered affordable if it costs families no more than 7% of their income. So let's just do the math here. That means New York City parents would need to be bringing in about $334,000 per year for things to feel affordable. And let's be real, even in a high income city, most families are not making anywhere near that.

[Rebecca Bailin]

It's like heartbreaking for people. You know, I hear people say they feel like they're on their own, right? It's, it's the hardest time of your life. It's the most expensive time of your life. So all this time, it's the hardest, most confusing, harder on your body, your soul, your. The logistics are out of control, your bank account's draining and you feel like you're on your own. And so that's kind of what we're trying to do is in building this political power of parents and would be parents, we're trying to say not only are you not on your own, you guys are already talking to each other on your WhatsApp groups, at daycares, whatever, but we're going to together really transform this city to protect what was fought for and won and to build more.

[Gloria Rivera]

Since New York city launched Universal Pre K in 2014 and 3K in 2017, these programs have been a genuine lifeline for New York City families. Kids do better academically. Parents have increased employment, especially mothers. And families are keeping more money in their pockets. Not only does this help families. But advocates like Rebecca argue that it makes good economic sense. Research shows that universal Pre K provides a significant positive return on investment for every dollar spent. Here's where it gets tricky. Spots in these programs aren't guaranteed. Take Caroline Furman, for example. She's a mom to two little ones, and she was really counting on free 3k for her oldest. But like so many others, she's finding it's not as accessible as it should be.

[Caroline Furman]

So the initial letter was that I did not get a spot. The initial letter was, sorry, you've been rejected.

[Gloria Rivera]

Oh, my God. It's the worst feeling. And I've been there, too, because we have a public school up the street, and everyone has said it's great and it has four kids and don't worry about it. You know, 97% of residents get in. I mean, it was really. That was the message. You don't have to worry about it. You'll get a spot. And we got a letter, and it was like, she didn't get a spot.

[Caroline Furman]

You had the same experience that was like, don't worry about it. Like, you'll get it. I had so much rage. I was so furious because I also do. I've also done community organizing. And so I just felt really like, how is there no one accountable? There's gotta be. That's how I got connected to Rebecca Balin with New Yorkers United for Childcare. You know, I was venting enough that somebody's like, hey, you should probably get in touch with this person. Yeah, funnel your community. Exactly right.

[Gloria Rivera]

Caroline's story is way too common. In 2024, she was one of about 2,500 applicants who didn't initially get a 3K offer from the Department of Education. Even after getting on waitlists, parents aren't guaranteed a spot that is close by. That is exactly why Rebecca started New Yorkers United for Child Care. Too many families like Caroline's are falling through the cracks of the current system. You founded New Yorkers United for Child Care. And how did it come to be? Tell me when that happened. What did it look like? In the beginning?

[Rebecca Bailin]

Yeah. In 2022, I got married, and I was thinking about my own personal family planning and realizing that it was going to be very hard for me realizing that the mayor felt that he could make annual cuts to this beloved universal program because there was no organized constituency of parents and would be parents saying, what the hell? Enough. No, not to us. So that was the personal side. But then I also realized that there are so many incredible groups working on this issue from provider advocates to anti poverty advocates, but nobody was organizing parents and would be parents. And nobody was doing it from a single issue. Nobody was just doing universal child care. We were able to launch in November of 2023, but we launched at this party, at this bar during the day, made it kid friendly, had kids activities, but drinks for the grownups. And we raised like $20,000 in small donations. 200 parents and their kids showed up. I was able to start in January with support from the New York Community Trust for my salary. And from there, with just one staff person and a lot of pro bono and volunteer support and advisors, we built a list of 6,000 New Yorkers fighting against the 3K cut in less than six months. Yeah, I had no organizers on the ground. No, it's not like I had a brilliant social media presence. We were just talking to each other, using the networks on WhatsApp, using earned media. People wanted to get involved and so that's how it started. And people shared their stories, they talked to the press, they called their elected leaders. And then ultimately In June of 2024, we were able to stop the worst of that year's cuts from the mayor to our 3K and pre K programs. And every parent eventually who applied got their 3K seat that they were promised. It wasn't perfect. They got seats that were too far away or they had already put down major deposits because they needed to put their kids somewhere or the seats were low quality. But it was a proof of concept that even with a bare bones staff and it's just less than a year of existence, by organizing this constituency, you can make real, real, powerful change and a real impact.

[Gloria Rivera]

Across the country, a handful of states do offer universal pre K programs for four year olds, in theory. In reality, these programs aren't always accessible. The funding falls short, enrollment gets capped, or families get turned away because of strict income requirements. Requirements. During the 2019-2020 school year, only Washington D.C. and four states, Florida, Oklahoma, Vermont and Wisconsin, achieved what experts consider to be true universality. At least 70% enrollment for 4 year olds. As a country, we need to do better than that. But it's a start. And we do need to start somewhere. It makes me think of the Affordable Care act, an imperfect system that definitely could cover more, but one that has certainly moved the goalposts in terms of expectations and demands. Things like access to primary and preventative care, free birth control and more. The lesson here, we can't wait for perfection. As with healthcare, we need to build something meaningful for childcare protect it fiercely and start to expect better. In New York City, the movement demanding a better system is coming together around one bold vision. Universal public child care.

[Rebecca Bailin]

When we say universal public child care, we mean free birth to five, full day nearby, easy to apply. So free, just like K through 12 is easy to apply just like K through 12 is. And nearby because you can't be sending your 2 year olds or 1 year old on a bus. Like you have to get there and then get to work. So, and they can't drive themselves. So these are all factors that are hugely important. And I think the biggest factor is no income testing. It is bureaucratically messy, it is expensive and it leaves people out. So that is one of the biggest, biggest criteria for us is that it must be truly universal for everybody and free.

[Gloria Rivera]

Do you remember a moment where you thought, wait a minute, I think we have something here? This is, people are on board.

[Rebecca Bailin]

I have that feeling kind of every day. It is wild. Like, you know, that's good news. I people warned me, oh, it's going to be so hard to organize parents. So hard to organize parents. They age out, they stop caring, they have no time. But I'm like, okay, well, we'll work on weekends and take days off during the week. We'll figure out how to provide childcare at events and we'll make it fun when the kids are there so that parents can get engaged. And they just came to us, they told their stories and yeah, I guess as I started to see those petition signatures just roll in and the willingness of people to get involved every day, it's baffling.

[Gloria Rivera]

We're going to take a quick break. When we come back, we'll hear what New Yorkers like Rebecca are doing to fight for universal public child care, including, and I love this, a stroller brigade at City Hall. The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation's Early Childhood Development Initiative in the United States supports the well being of caregivers and their young children prenatal to age 3. The Hilton foundation does this through investing in caregiver and parent education and well being, supporting local organizations and strengthening the early childhood field.

[Unknown Advertiser]

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[Gloria Rivera]

After successfully defeating the majority of budget cuts to pre K and 3K last summer, new Yorkers United for Childcare took things to the next level with a new campaign this January. Instead of simply defending what they already had for three and four year olds, they're now demanding universal guaranteed care for two year olds. Why does this matter? Well, besides the fact that parents urgently need the support, 2Care is critical for little ones. 80% of brain growth happens before kids turn 3. And 2Care programs are designed with a curriculum to set kids up for success, like learning the Alphabet, basic math, and practicing fine motor skills. And get this, New Yorkers United for Child Care didn't just announce their two care campaign with a press release. They kicked it off with a full on stroller brigade at City Hall.

[Rebecca Bailin]

Buenos dias, everyone.

[Gloria Rivera]

My name is Jessica Ramos and I'm just another mom for universal child care. One of the most critical issues facing working families and facing the economy in New York City is the crushing cost of living. Childcare at its heart and center. So I am so delighted to be supporting this campaign. Let's get it done together.

[Rebecca Bailin]

We had kids activities, hot chocolate. It was freezing. But kids were out there, they were dancing. And our elected leaders came out and it was like a hundred parents and their kids who came out on a weekend to fight for two care. And already what we're hearing from them in just a few weeks, less than a month since our launch, we've gotten hundreds of parents signing on to support. They're telling us what we've been hearing all along. I don't know if I can hang on till 3k. I don't know if I can stay in the city until I get to 3K. I'm going into debt to pay for childcare like I would for college or I'm sacrificing savings or buying a house or even nice things like going on vacation. Both the financial struggles, the logistical struggles and just like wanting your kid to have that socialization, these are all the things that we hear from parents. And both the benefit that 3k and pre k has given families and the fear that they're not going to get it and the desire to have it expand is what's giving them hope to stay in New York. But it's making it very hard to do that.

[Gloria Rivera]

These stories are everywhere you look. We've been touching on this throughout this episode, but the reality is that New York City and actually major cities across the country are losing families with young children, Black Families in particular, are leaving New York City at high rates for more affordable living. And neighborhoods like Washington Heights, known for its tight knit Dominican community, are experiencing a dramatic exodus. Many Hispanic families have been priced out, leading to a 48% drop in residents under 18 between 2000 and 2020. Caroline Fuhrman, who you heard from earlier, is living right in the middle of this.

[Caroline Furman]

There's a grief, there's a loss. There's totally a loss. All kinds of people are leaving, and all kinds of culture is shifting. And they just built a massive new apartment building up in Washington Heights, and the starting rent was $4,000. For a studio.

[Gloria Rivera]

For a studio in this neighborhood. Oh, my.

[Caroline Furman]

Yeah.

[Gloria Rivera]

So Caroline is a mom, she's a dancer who teaches at Barnard College, and she calls Washington Heights home.

[Caroline Furman]

You know, I'm part Dominican, so one of the reasons I live in Washington Heights is it feels comfortable to me. I like to hear Spanish being spoken. I like to hear the music on the street. It's part of my culture.

[Gloria Rivera]

Understandably, this is where she wants to raise her kids. At the same time, Caroline and her husband are among the parents that Rebecca was talking about, the ones seriously weighing whether they can actually afford to stay in the city they love. Can you just tell me how old are your kids? Boy, girl? Who are they? What are they into?

[Caroline Furman]

Yeah, so I have two kids. My youngest, Matilda, just turned one last week. And then my boy is three. His name is Asa, or he's almost four.

[Gloria Rivera]

Wow. Oh, my gosh. You are in it. Three and one. Yeah.

[Caroline Furman]

Yeah, I'm in it. I'm in it to win it. I actually can't feel my fingers right now. I have, like, carpal tunnel, I think, and, like, a neck problem from just, like, hoisting. They're both really large children, like, in the 96th percentile. I feel like that's one of the things they should prep you for in parenting is like, you're going to be lifting. You're going to size out of your jackets. I had to buy all new shirts. Like, my shoulders got really big.

[Gloria Rivera]

Oh, my gosh. Let's just start. At what point did you realize the cost of childcare was becoming unsustainable? I mean, imagine it's not a small immediately.

[Caroline Furman]

That's something I understood before I even had kids, because I had been a nanny, because I had done daycare. That part I was aware of. And I remember having those discussions with my husband being like, okay, childcare can be really expensive when we need it. I don't know how long we'll need it. I don't know for what amount of days. I don't know what that arrangement will look like if it's one person, if it's a group. But we will need it and it will be expensive. What I was banking on was the free 3k that was offered through the city, and then that fell through too.

[Gloria Rivera]

Ultimately, her family had to turn to private child care. Her son's Preschool runs about $6,000 per semester for three semesters a year, while her daughter's daycare costs $400 weekly all year round. When you add it all up, they're paying about $38,000 annually. So how has paying for that affected things like your savings and your retirement? Oh, you're shaking your head. Okay.

[Caroline Furman]

Terrible, terrible, terrible. I have been very poor before, though I lived below the poverty line for most of my adult career here in New York City. I know it very well. And so there's a luxury to not being there. And also there are certain programs now that I don't qualify for that were helpful, like health insurance and food stamps and Medicaid, stuff like that. That's not available anymore. Now that's all getting paid for. And everybody that's in the middle class knows this crush very well. We're definitely not saving anything. We're just tick, tick, tick, dripping, dripping out of the savings.

[Gloria Rivera]

I'm curious about what it is like in Washington Heights. You know, what kind of conversations are you having with people when you do go outside and you connect? What are people saying about how they are managing their costs? I imagine that you are not alone in this neighborhood and going through this, yet you're shaking your head no.

[Caroline Furman]

Yeah. So many people that you get close to, you know, relatively close to on the playground, on a walk, say, oh, yeah, we're about to move to North Carolina next week or yeah, in a few months. We're looking to relocate and there's just this attrition of our in, including our close friends, including a bunch of artists and music makers and actors and dancers and teachers and, you know, all these like, kind of culture makers just being like, I can't make it. I can't hack it anymore. It's just not possible for me.

[Gloria Rivera]

So how do we keep New York families in New York? Coming up after the break, we'll hear from Rebecca, the founder of New Yorkers United for Child Care and her step by step plan to make universal child care a guarantee for parents like Caroline across New York State.

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[Unknown Advertiser]

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[Gloria Rivera]

We'Re back with Rebecca from New Yorkers United for Child Care who has big plans for New York families.

[Rebecca Bailin]

First. In November we came out with our five year roadmap for universal public child care. So we already have Pre K and 3K. While we think 0 to 5 fully would have to be done on the state level for funding reasons and for equity to make sure that the whole state gets it, we do think that we can age down to 2Care soon. It doesn't have to. We don't have to wait for the state or frankly the federal government for that.

[Gloria Rivera]

Here's the deal. New York families are already spending a massive $14 billion every year on child care. But instead of having parents shoulder this burden individually, New Yorkers United for Child Care's plan would shift those costs to the state. That comes out to about $12.7 billion annually. Once everything's up and running, the plan breaks it down by year. So year one is about making 3k and pre k truly universal across the city. No rejections like the one Caroline's son received. No waiting lists. They'd also start expanding. Year two is when they'd ensure every single three and four year old across the entire state of New York has access to 3K and pre K. Plus they'd start to grow access for younger kids too. Then in years three and four, they'd tackle the biggest challenge, expanding access for the tiniest New Yorkers from six week old infants to two year old toddlers. You can think of it as a phased approach. Basically, let's start with the three and four year olds and work down to the babies. Making child care from 0 to 5 a guarantee not only in the city, but across the state. Listen, I love a good plan and this is a good plan. It makes sense for parents. And Rebecca says it's a smart financial move for the state too.

[Rebecca Bailin]

So we know the data shows that if you have kids under 6 in New York state, you are 40% more likely to leave the state. And if in New York City, you are two times more likely to leave the city than people without kids or without kids under six. And that is having just like crazy impacts on our economy in 2022, for that year, we lost $23 billion in economic activity due to people leaving the state or leaving the workforce. It's just all the factors combined. And New York City and state can just make it possible for us to stay because we have the money here.

[Gloria Rivera]

I really wanted to understand what a plan like this would mean for parents like Caroline. As a working mom, a professor and a dancer, she's exactly who could benefit from universal childcare. So New Yorkers United for Child Care, right, They're looking for guaranteed child care from ages 0 to 5. You've just told us how difficult These early years have been for you. So when you think about the idea of a guaranteed 0 to 5 program, what does that mean to you? What would it be like to be able to count on that?

[Caroline Furman]

Everything. It would change everything. Like, I have all of these artistic ideas, grants that I want to write, projects I want to do that are just. I had to kind of come to peace with myself and be like, not now, maybe years from now. So I've really had to take a step back. I got recruited for a more full time position when my kid was. My first child was one, and I was so excited. I was like, oh my gosh, this is a prestigious position. I could make a lot more money, but the hours would have been crazy. And I. I just thought, not now. So I turned it down. Like there was just. There's all these kinds of like career moments that have been put on the back burner, which have. Which has been very sad for me physically. I can't really stay in the kind of shape that I need to be to teach that's on the back burner. And weirdly, in this kind of weird way, you would think this is not true, but it would give me more time with my family. Having someone help you, having someone in your village, in your community that helps with the childcare. Would it free up time in the evenings, in the mornings and the weekends, whenever where I could be like fully present.

[Gloria Rivera]

Yeah.

[Caroline Furman]

And actually spend the time with my kids having a nice time.

[Rebecca Bailin]

I think the main message is that we can ask for bold things that are actually realistic but bold. We can band together and we can call on our elected leaders to do it. It might be complicated, but at the end of the day, it's very simple. And I do believe that together we can win this because you see it work. We have 3k, we have pre k. We have k through 12. We know how to do this. And we just need to be very consistent and very clear and not back down with our square and demonstrate that this is something we're going to hold them accountable to, you know, and the other thing is like, we have public libraries, we have garbage pickup in some municipalities. Like, we know how to do this, I guess, is what my ultimate thing.

[Gloria Rivera]

For Caroline, the lack of guaranteed childcare meant turning down a dream job and shelving creative projects indefinitely. For other parents, it might look like uprooting their families for cheaper cities, deciding not to have a second baby or leaving the workforce entirely. These are not hypothetical scenarios. These are real choices real people are making. But here's the thing that really gets me we are not chasing an impossible dream. This is totally doable. Just look at Belgium, Denmark, Lithuania, Norway and Slovenia. They've all figured out how to provide guaranteed universal childcare starting at birth. Longtime listeners of the show also know something that might surprise others. This is already happening in the United States in the armed services. The military child care system is a strong model that provides care from birth to 5. It is subsidized by federal dollars, affordable for parents, and high quality. As Rebecca put it, we already know how to do this. We know what it costs. We know who benefits, everyone. And we know the next steps we need to take. So what are we waiting for? We're standing firm on our demands. Every child from birth to five deserves guaranteed care. No exceptions, no barriers, no waiting lists. Period. There's more no One Is Coming to Save Us With Lemonada Premium subscribers get exclusive access to bonus content like unheard clips from our interviews. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts no One Is Coming to Save Us As a Lemonada original, this series is created and produced with Neighborhood Villages, a nonprofit dedicated to transforming child care through innovative program building and policy design. Visit www.NeighborhoodVillages.org to learn more. I'm your host, Gloria Rivera. Lisa Fu and Hannah Boomershine are our producers. Ivan Koraev is our audio engineer. Our music is by Hannis Brown. Jackie Danziger is our VP of Partnerships and Production executive. Producers are Stephanie Whittles Wax and Jessica Cordova Kramer, along with me, Gloria Rivera. If you like this show and you believe what we're doing is important, please help others find us by leaving us a rating and writing a review. And most importantly, tell your friends. Follow no One Is Coming to Save Us. Wherever you get your podcasts or listen, ad free on Amazon Music with your prime membership. Thank you for listening and we'll be back next week. Until then, hang in there. You can do this.

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[Megan]

Hi, I'm Megan and I've got a new podcast I think you're going to love. It's called Confessions of a Female Founder, a show where I chat with female entrepreneurs and friends about the sleepless nights, the lessons learned, and the laser focus that got them to where they are today. And through it all, I'm building a business of my own and getting all sorts of practical advice along the way that I am so excited to share with you. Confessions of a Female Founder is out now. Hear new episodes each week ad free on Amazon Music. You can also ask Alexa Alexa, play Confessions of a Female Founder with Megan on Amazon Music and she will.