In partnership with the New York City Child Care Resource & Referral Consortium
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Responding to the childcare affordability crisis in New York City, University Settlement has launched a public service campaign that aims to help working families connect to trusted community-based childcare options in the neighborhoods where they live and work.
“More than 80% of New York City families with a child under 5 cannot afford childcare, and the struggle to keep children cared for can drive parents out of the workforce. All too often, this challenge causes families, predominantly BIPOC families, to move out of the city entirely,” said Melissa Aase, CEO, University Settlement. “We also know that the bureaucratically complex process for finding childcare in NYC means that many families are not entirely aware of the options available to them, including subsidized programs for income-eligible families, and that this is one reason why many high-quality early childhood programs, including some we operate, have seats available.”
University Settlement’s campaign “Affordable Childcare Makes NYC Work for Everyone” aims to help working families city-wide effectively connect to childcare programs that can make a real difference in their lives.
Ads in English, Spanish, and Simplified Chinese will run this summer on LinkNYC screens in the Lower East Side, Chinatown, East New York, and the East Village, as well as on F.Y. Eye’s PSA Network.
Families who engage with the ads and follow the QR code or URL will arrive at a landing page: universitysettlement.org/everyone. There, people who are looking for childcare will be asked to share some brief contact information and the ages of their children.
Depending on the ZIP Code where families are looking for services, the campaign will either connect them to one of University Settlement’s programs, or to a team from the New York City Child Care Resources & Referral Consortium (NYCCRR), a team of four culturally diverse agencies working with New York City to help families connect with childcare that works for them.
“Our Consortium’s geographic reach ensures that we can connect every New Yorker who shares their information with us to programs convenient to their lives. We’re proud to partner with University Settlement on this powerful campaign,” said Tara N. Gardner, Executive Director of Day Care Council of New York, speaking on behalf of the NYCCRR’s three additional Executive Directors: Marcia Rowe-Riddick (Child Development Support Corporation), Ramon Peguero(Committee for Hispanic Children and Families), and Wayne Ho (Chinese-American Planning Council).
“Affordable Childcare Makes NYC Work for Everyone” was developed as part of the Non-Profit CoLab, F.Y. Eye and WPP’s public service announcement accelerator program.