New York City Council Committee on Education Votes on Early Childhood Education Package – June 11, 2026
New York City Council Committee on Education Votes on Early Childhood Education Package – June 11, 2026
The New York City Council Committee on Education, chaired by Councilmember Eric Dinowitz, met on Thursday, June 11, 2026 at 10:30 AM to vote on a package of four early childhood education-related items. The package included two proposed local laws and two resolutions aimed at improving child care permitting, enrollment outreach, paid family leave transferability, and child care assistance eligibility. The committee voted to approve all four items with 11 affirmative votes, 0 negative, and 2 absent (Councilmembers Farías and Schulman). The package had previously been passed by the Subcommittee on Early Childhood Education on June 10, 2026.
Consent Calendar / Voted Items
- Proposed Int. No. 9-A (sponsored by Councilmember Linda Lee): A local law requiring a study and report on the processes for obtaining permits, licenses, or registrations to operate a child care program in New York City. The study would involve the Office of Childcare and Early Childhood Education, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Department of Buildings, and Fire Department.
- Proposed Int. No. 579-A (sponsored by Councilmember Jennifer Gutiérrez): A local law requiring the Department of Education to develop and implement an annual outreach and education campaign to enroll students in early childhood education programs, targeting families with eligible children.
- Resolution 0165-2026 (sponsored by Deputy Speaker Nantasha Williams): A resolution calling on the New York State Legislature to amend the Workers' Compensation Law to allow unused Paid Family Leave to be transferred to grandparents and other designated caregivers.
- Resolution 0365-2026-A (sponsored by Councilmember Kevin Riley): A resolution calling on the New York State Legislature to pass S.1994/A.2218, which would remove minimum wage and hours requirements for applicants of child care assistance.
Discussion
Chair Dinowitz delivered opening remarks emphasizing the importance of early childhood education, noting that during the first years of a child's life, the brain forms more than one million neural connections every second. He highlighted the recently passed state budget that significantly boosts funding for early childhood education in New York City, and stated that the package of bills would further strengthen the system for expansion. No other committee members or members of the public provided testimony or debate; the meeting proceeded directly to a vote.
Key Outcomes
- All four items were approved by the committee with a final roll call vote of 11 in the affirmative (Dinowitz, Brewer, De La Rosa, Gutiérrez, Joseph, Krishnan, Lee, Louis, Narcisse, Wong, and Zhuang), 0 in the negative, and no abstentions. Councilmembers Farías and Schulman were absent.
- The roll call was initially held open after a vote of 10 affirmatives, and was later closed with Councilmember Gutiérrez casting the 11th affirmative vote.
- The approved items will now proceed to the full New York City Council for consideration.
Meeting Transcript
Good morning, everyone, and welcome to today's New York City Council vote for the Committee on Education. At this time, please silence all electronic devices, and no one may approach the chair. Uh the day is. Chair, we are ready to begin. Thank you. Good morning, everyone. Welcome to today's vote. I'm Councilmember Eric Dinowitz, Chair of the Committee on Education, a proud public school alum and forever educator. I want to acknowledge my colleagues who are present. Council members Lewis, Lee, Narcis, and Della Rosa, Zhuang, Wang, and Krishna. Today, the committee will consider a package of legislation related to early childhood education, the system that supports our littlest and cutest learners. Quality early childhood education programs play an important role in early development. Early learning programs build the cognitive and social skills needed to do well in school and in life. During the first years of a child's life, their brain forms more than one million neural connections every second. Access to stimulating learning opportunities early on, strengthens these brain connections, and ultimately lays the groundwork for lifelong academic success. Across all levels of New York government, leaders are recognizing the importance of investing in the early years of a child's life. The recently passed state budget significantly boosts funding for the city's early childhood education programs. And with the package of bills we are considering today, we can further strengthen the early childhood education system and better prepare it for expansion. The subcommittee, the subcommittee on early childhood education, chaired by councilmember Jennifer Gutierrez, passed this package yesterday. Councilmember Gutierrez is not only chair of that subcommittee, is a member of this committee, and the sponsor of proposed intro 579A. Intro 579A would require the Department of Education to develop and implement an annual outreach and education campaign regarding early childhood education programs to reach families with children who are eligible to enroll in early childhood education programs. The committee will also be considering proposed intro 9A, sponsored by Councilmember Linda Lee. And really, in relation to a study and report on the processes for obtaining permits and licenses or registrations to operate a child care program. This bill would require the Office of Childcare and Early Childhood Education in consultation with the Department of Mental Health and Hygiene, the Department of Buildings, and the Fire Department of the City of New York to conduct a study on the process for obtaining permits and licenses or registrations to operate a child care program in New York City. Additionally, the committee will consider two resolutions. Resolution 165, sponsored by Deputy Speaker, Dr. Nantasha Williams, calls on the New York State Legislature to introduce and pass and the governor to sign legislation to amend the workers' compensation law in relation to allowing unused family family paid leave, paid family leave to be transferred to grandparents. It works and other designated caregivers. Lastly, proposed resolution 365A, sponsored by Councilmember Kevin Riley, calls on the New York State Legislature to pass and the governor to sign, Senate Bill 1994 and Assembly Bill 2218 to remove the minimum wage and hours requirement for applicants of child care assistance. I encourage my colleagues to support these pieces of legislation. By passing this package, we have an opportunity to make small improvements that will greatly benefit the day-to-day functionality of the system responsible for the care and education. It still works. It's good. It's good. By passing this package, we have the opportunity to make small improvements that will greatly benefit the day-to-day functionality of the system responsible for the care and education of our youngest students. Finally, I would like to thank committee staff, Alejandro Carvajal, Chloe Rivera, Katie Selena, Grace Amato, and Angeline Lawless, as well as my own staff, Theo Stalter, and Jenna Klaus. And we will hold for the vote. Okay, we've also been joined by council members Joseph and Brewer, and we are ready to begin our vote. Thank you, William Martin Committee Clerk. We'll call vote committee on education. All items are coupled. Chair Dinowitz. Yes. De La Rosa. Yes. Fadiaz. Gutierrez. Joseph. Krishnan. Aye.
openpublica.com