A Local Law in relation to studying the feasibility of providing childcare for city employees

Int. No. 853-A

By The Public Advocate (Ms. James) and Council Members Kallos, Miller, Levin, Ayala, Ampry-Samuel, Powers, Rivera, Rosenthal, Cabrera, Lander, Cumbo and Constantinides

A Local Law in relation to studying the feasibility of providing childcare for city employees

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

Section 1. Working group to assess the feasibility of providing childcare services for city employees. a. Within 30 days after the effective date of this local law, the mayor shall designate an agency or city official to convene a childcare working group of at least 11 members to conduct a feasibility study about providing discounted group childcare centers on city-owned and city-operated property. Such childcare centers would serve city employees’ children who are four years old or younger but are not eligible for a universal prekindergarten program established pursuant to section 3602-e of the education law or are three years old or younger but are not eligible for 3-K where 3-K services are available.

b.  Members of the childcare working group shall include experts in the field of childcare and representatives from city agencies, including at least one representative from the department of citywide administrative services, the administration for children’s services, the office of labor relations, the office of operations, the office of management and budget, the department of health and mental hygiene, the department of education, the human resources administration and the commission on gender equity. The childcare working group shall also include one representative appointed by the speaker of the city council and one representative appointed by the public advocate. 

c. The childcare working group shall:

1. determine the scope and goals of the feasibility study;

2. review models of existing childcare programs, including voucher systems, on-site childcare, subsidized childcare, group childcare and early education;

3. consider the scope and issues attendant to commencing a pilot project providing childcare for children of city employees;

4. provide oversight as necessary with respect to the gathering of information and development of a final feasibility study report;

5.  convene at least quarterly during the development of the feasibility study; and

6. issue a feasibility study report. Such report shall: (a) assess possible eligibility criteria and the likely citywide service population sizes for each such criterion; (b) assess possible barriers to providing such services, including but not limited to physical space restrictions, lease terms, and service providers; (c) make recommendations on how the possible barriers identified could be addressed; (d) assess the estimated costs of providing such services at varying scales; and (e) evaluate the relative fiscal and policy impacts of the provision of vouchers as an alternative to on-site childcare.

d. Within 12 months after this local law takes effect, the agency or city official designated in accordance with this subdivision a of this section shall submit to the mayor and the speaker the childcare working group’s feasibility study report including the findings and recommendations of the childcare working group. 

e. Within 24 months of the submission of the feasibility study report issued in accordance with subdivision c of this section, an agency designated by the mayor shall implement a one-year pilot project to provide or subsidize a childcare center or centers for children identified in subdivision a of this section. The inclusion of the children of public employees represented by a recognized or certified employee organization in such pilot project shall be subject to bargaining with the appropriate recognized or certified employee organizations, as such terms are defined in article 14 of the civil service law. Such pilot project shall be informed by the report issued in accordance with subdivision c of this section, and shall be established in consultation, as appropriate, with the childcare working group.

f.  Within 4 months of the conclusion of the one-year pilot project, the childcare working group shall submit to the mayor and the speaker a report setting forth its findings and recommendations regarding the one-year pilot project.

g. The childcare working group may make ongoing findings and recommendations as it deems appropriate.

§ 2. This local law takes effect immediately and expires and is deemed repealed five years after the date of this local law.

BM/BJR

LS # 3620

10/9/18  3:48 PM