Free child care
Blaz vow for families that ‘need it most’
With schools offering in-person classes on a part-time basis this fall, the city will provide free child care for families that “need it the most,” Mayor de Blasio said Tuesday.
In the coming days, parents will be able to apply for the care, de Blasio said, adding that the city will accommodate at least 100,000 families.
“It will start consistently with the beginning of school,” Hizzoner said of the undertaking.
He said parents who have to leave home to go to work would be prioritized over those working from home or who are unemployed. “We want to obviously make sure that the parents who need it the most get it,” the mayor said. “There are parents who don’t have a choice, particularly if they are going to work or are going back to work. There are others who may have more flexibility.
“We want to make sure the folks who really don’t have choices get the first opportunity,” he added.
The city is expected to send out schedules next week outlining which days students will be able to come to class.
About 260,000 students recently opted to do school entirely through online learning. More than 700,000 others will be on “hybrid” schedules of inperson and online classes.
While families can change their plans at any time, de Blasio said he expects the numbers to stay consistent as the September start of school approaches.
“If the health situation is what it is now, I think you’re going to see a very similar number,” he said. If the city’s rate of positive COVID tests goes above 3%, Big Apple schools will cancel in-person classes. The rate was 2% as of Monday, according to the city Health Department, having fluctuated between 1% and 2% this summer.