Tuesday, June 30, 2026, 11 a.m. (New York City time), 250 Broadway - 8th Floor - Hearing Room 1
Committee: Committee on Education
The Committee on Education, chaired by Council Member Eric Dinowitz, met to vote on two pieces of child care and early childhood education legislation. Proposed Introduction 15A, sponsored by Council Member Shaun Abreu, would prohibit the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene from requiring a subsequent background check for someone already cleared to work in a center-based child care program, unless they had not been employed by a City child care provider for more than 180 consecutive days in the past five years, among other exceptions. Proposed Introduction 588, associated with Council Members Gennaro and Kevin Riley, would establish an Office of Child Care and Early Childhood Education to coordinate universal, no-cost child care planning citywide. Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez delivered remarks thanking staff, colleagues, and advocates, and expressed hope for a universal child care system. Both items were coupled and adopted by a vote of 13 in the affirmative, 0 in the negative, with no abstentions.
0:08 You guys? Yeah, yeah. Good
0:08 morning and welcome to today's
0:10 New York City Council vote for
0:12 the committee on education at
0:14 this time, please silence all
0:16 electronic devices and to no 1
0:19 approach any time sure to know
0:20 it's we are ready to begin
0:25 .good morning, everyone. I'm
0:27 Council Member Eric you a
0:29 proud public school alone
0:31 teacher and now chair of the
0:32 committee on education and
0:34 welcome to today's vote first.
0:35 I'd like to acknowledge my
0:37 colleagues that are here
0:39 ,council lewis sherman
0:51 rwong, um zong Joseph a. Lee
1:02 and delarosa to the committee
1:03 on education will consider two
1:04 pieces of legislation related
1:05 to child care and early
1:08 childhood education proposed
1:09 introduction. 15 A sponsored
1:11 by council members shawn
1:12 abroad would prohibit the
1:13 department of health and
1:14 mental hygiene from acquiring
1:16 a subsequent background check
1:17 of an individual for the
1:19 purposes of working in a
1:20 center based child care
1:23 program if had already
1:25 completed a background check
1:27 unless the individual has not
1:28 been employed by a child care
1:29 provider in the City for more
1:30 than a hundred 80 consecutive
1:32 days in the past five years. A
1:35 child care program requests a
1:36 background check or a
1:37 background check is otherwise
1:38 required by law or necessary
1:41 for the purposes of safety
1:43 this bill aimed to correct
1:47 inefficiencies in efficacy h's
1:48 in the background check
1:49 process and ease some of the
1:50 administrative burden on child
1:58 care providers. Yeah, the
1:59 committee will also be
2:01 considering proposed
2:01 introduction. 588 On a really
2:04 child education chair council
2:06 member council members. Jen
2:08 got as well as Council Member
2:11 Kevin Riley. This bill would
2:12 establish an office of child
2:12 care and early childhood
2:14 education to oversee the
2:15 planning and implementation of
2:16 child care for any child who
2:18 resides in the City at no cost
2:22 to a parent step parent
2:23 guardian or relative of such
2:26 child, the bill would require
2:27 the office to coordinate the
2:28 provision of child care in the
2:30 City, including among other
2:32 mandates developing
2:34 recommendations for
2:35 implementation, considering
2:36 costs and potential sources of
2:37 funding for the expansion of
2:40 child care and supporting
2:40 agencies in identifying
2:42 potential locations for
2:44 additional childcare programs.
2:45 I would like to turn it over
2:47 to the bill's sponsor,
2:48 councilmember Gutiérrez for
2:52 her remarks.
2:52 Thank you, chair, I I wil
2:53 lbe so brief. I just want t
2:55 otake this time to thank the
2:56 entire staff that helped put
2:57 this together. All of my
2:58 colleagues at very early on,
3:00 signed on re signed on and
3:02 then re signed on again at the
3:04 third reintroduction, and I
3:05 just want to dedicate this to
3:07 all the advocates all the
3:08 providers all the majority
3:10 women and women of color that
3:11 have been saying that they
3:13 have not felt seen or
3:15 supported as child car
3:15 eproviders as early child t
3:18 ohit hood education providers
3:19 .I'm really thankful to the
3:21 speaker and to this Mayor who
3:23 both, I think have never shied
3:26 away from their commitment t
3:27 othis and I'm really excited t
3:28 osee how our City transforms
3:30 when we have a legitimate
3:32 universal child care system,
3:33 ithink this is a space where
3:34 New York can lead and I'm very
3:36 excited about that future.
3:42 Thank you. Thank you
3:43 councilmember today what will
3:44 soon be voting on a budget
3:46 that significantly invests in
3:47 New York city's early
3:49 childhood education system and
3:50 as a committee we have the
3:53 opportunity to improve the
3:55 functionality of that system
3:56 and set up that investment for
3:58 a greater chance of success,
3:59 and I encourage my colleagues
4:01 to support both of these
4:02 pieces of legislation, and
4:05 finally, I'd like to thank the
4:06 committee staff alejandro
4:07 carver hall, chloe rivera,
4:10 katie, selena, grace amato and
4:13 angeline lawless as well as my
4:14 own staff, the assaulter and
4:19 jenna. Klaus, we're ready to
4:20 begin the vote. Thank you.
4:20 Good morning, will you?
4:21 Committee clark roll call vote
4:23 committee on education. Both
4:24 items are coupled. Inuits.
4:27 Hi
4:28 , lewis eye on all
4:30 congratulations to all the
4:31 bill sponsors. Brewer? Yes,
4:36 De La Rosa high.
4:39 Farías. I would iike
4:43 congratulations, councilman.
4:45 Gutiérrez Gutiérrez.
4:45 Thank you so much. I Joseph
4:53 I. Krishnan I li.
4:57 I niceties. Congratulations.
5:02 I.
5:02 Showman I huang I Won eye on
5:10 both. Thank you with a vote of
5:12 13 in the affirmative, zer
5:13 owith a negative, no
5:15 abstentions. Both items have
5:15 been adopted by the committee
5:17 chair that is a full committee
5:20 . Thank you. The committee