Child care sites fret as budget woes mount

Scores of child care providers that rely on city funds to offer free preschool to thousands of youngsters worry they could see devastating cuts if city officials don’t get state approval to borrow billions of dollars to fill pandemic-related fiscal holes.

The Day Care Council of New York, which represents hundreds of nonprofits that contract with the city to run the popular Universal Pre-K and 3-K programs, penned a letter Tuesday urging state officials to grant the city’s $5 billion borrowing request.

“There hasn’t been any losses in our sector, but what’s coming, I don’t know,” said Andrea Anthony, the executive director of the Day Care Council, which signed the Tuesday letter along with two dozen child care providers. “It’s our hope that if that money comes, maybe we can stay stable.”

City officials have escalated their campaign to get borrowing authority in recent weeks, citing the specter of 22,000 municipal worker layoffs without additional funds. But officials say those layoffs, which account for about $1 billion of the $5 billion officials have asked for, are only the tip of the iceberg.

Another $1.75 billion of the requested $5 billion would go towards propping up the budget of the city’s sprawling education system, including the vast free preschool network that’s been a centerpiece of Mayor de Blasio’s administration, city officials say.

The Pre-K program enrolls about 70,000 children through a combination of city-run preschools and independent providers that contract with the city. Without the state borrowing authority or a federal stimulus, officials say they won’t be able to balance next year’s budget.