Solve NYC’s child-care crisis — with schools that put excellence first

Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Gov. Kathy Hochul need to step up, writes Queens mother Cinnamon Paltoo. AP

As a New York City working mother of three, I see every day how our child-care system is failing our families.

For many, it’s more than just a financial struggle — it’s a full-blown crisis.

This broken system is why I recently spent my Friday morning standing outside with dozens of parents and education leaders, as we called on the city and state to make high-quality child care accessible to more families.

We weren’t just there to lament, but to highlight a solution to this crisis — a willing, virtually untapped resource at our disposal: NYC’s charter schools.

I have seen the power and potential of these schools firsthand.

My older two children, now in 7th and 8th grade, have attended Success Academy in Springfield Gardens since they were in kindergarten.

They are among the 150,000 city public-school children — one in six — currently receiving their education at a charter school.

But Success Academy is more than just another public school; it provides a top-tier education that my children would not have received otherwise.

When I drop them off every morning, I have total peace of mind, knowing they will spend the day in a safe, rigorous, high-quality environment.

And now, as I look at my five-month-old baby, I want that same opportunity for him, beginning at age 3.

Yet NYC’s charter schools are being prevented from offering the exceptional early education our families desperately need.

Right now, the city’s charter schools are prohibited from offering 3-K classes.

And those offering pre-K programs for 4-year-olds receive just a fraction of the funding that district schools receive: just $10,000 for each charter-school pre-K student, far short of the $30,000 spent on each child enrolled in a district pre-K program.

Why? Because New York City supplements the state funds it gets for district-run pre-K programs with local tax dollars, but does not do so for children in public charter and community-based programs — leaving a $20,000 gap.

This is discrimination.

My child is not “worth less” because I chose a charter school.

The city’s policy is an affront to equity, forcing our schools to operate with one hand tied behind their backs while devaluing our children.

My children, like all public-school children, deserve equal funding.

This disparity is especially jarring considering the quality of care my children have received over the course of their education.

It’s no secret that early childhood education can drastically alter a child’s life, while providing much-needed relief to the families who need it the most.

But to truly make an impact, early education must also focus on excellence.

I don’t just want a place for my children to go each morning; I need them to be in a place where they can thrive.

For many families, including my own, high-quality charter-school options are life-changing.

In this city, charter students largely come from low-income families who refuse to accept the idea that the neighborhood where a child starts in life should dictate how far that child can go.

For us, charter schools represent a promise that our kids deserve the best education possible, no matter their zip code.

And pre-K must be part of that promise.

Without it, families often must make difficult financial decisions: Many are forced to pay exorbitant amounts for private child care, while others must leave the work force altogether.

Either way, many children are missing out on the transformational boost that early education can provide.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Gov. Kathy Hochul need to step up.

If they are serious about fixing the child care crisis and giving our children a leg up from the earliest possible age, they must empower the partners who are already delivering — and delivering high educational quality.

For me and for my fellow parents, this isn’t about politics; it’s about the support we desperately need to keep our families moving forward.

My baby deserves an equitable start, a start my other two children were not afforded.

And our families deserve the right to choose excellence.

Don’t leave charter parents — or our schools — behind.

Cinnamon Paltoo is a Queens mother of three whose two older children attend Success Academy.