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THE CITY OF YORK

OFFICE OF THE COMPTROLLER
SCOTT M. STRINOER

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May 10,2019

Chancellor Richard A. Carranza

New York City Department of Education
Tweed Courthouse

52 Chambers Street

New York, NY 10007

Dear Chancellor Carranza,

As you know, the Of?ce of the Comptroller has been working diligently with the Department of
Education (DOE) and other City agencies for many months to ensure that the transition of
contracted child care services from the Administration for Children?s Services to DOE is
successful. There is perhaps no greater obligation we have in City government than to protect the
health, safety, and wellbeing of our children, and ensuring continuity of quality services is
paramount to upholding this important commitment.

As part of this transition, I know DOE has taken steps to convene and solicit feedback from early
childhood education stakeholders. Indeed, the development of a new birth-tO-?ve contracted
system provides a unique Opportunity not only to articulate a vision of a system the City believes
will support children, families, and providers but also to identify and address existing ?aws.
However, the enclosed April 25, 2019 letter to Mayor de Blasio from leaders of human services
organizations?many of whom oversee EarlyLearn NYC and Pre-K for All programs and made
the expansion of services under the latter possible?raises serious questions about the feasibility
of the recently released Birth-to-Five and Head Start/Early Head Start Request for Proposals
(RFPs), which they call ?unworkable and unacceptable.? Their ?ve key concerns, as enumerated
in the letter, are that the RFPs: (1) perpetuate salary disparities, (2) penalize providers with Pay for
Enrollment, (3) fail to ef?ciently structure programs, (4) provide no funding for indirect costs, and
(5) lack cost escalators.

Providers are the backbone of our early childhood education and care system, but the system can
be neither hi gh-quality nor sustainable if built on their backs. I strongly urge you to work with the
provider community to address these issues and amend the existing RFPs. New York City?s early
childhood workforce enables thousands of children to thrive in school and supports families?
capacity to achieve greater economic stability, but they bear signi?cant costs to be able to do this
work, Often at the expense of their own economic security. They deserve for the City tO take the
necessary time to get this right.

DAVID N. DINKINS MUNICIPAL BUILDING . 1 CENTRE STREET, 5TH FLOOR - NEW YORK, NY 10007
PHONE: (212) 669-3500 




Thank you, for your continued partnership and attention to this matter. I look forward to your
response.

Sincerely,

Mm

Scott: M. Stringer
New York. City Comptroller