New York Citys economic future depends on having one of the besttrained, best-educated workforces in the world.

Laying a strong educational foundation and building on it over time are critical to staying competitive and restoring the middle class. We cannot succeed as a city if students are not prepared to learn on their first day of school and spend years playing catch-up. We cannot succeed when thousands of kids stop learning every day when the 3pm bell rings, increasing the risk of crime and drug abuse. We cannot succeed if thousands of working parents struggle to make imperfect arrangements to care for their kids while they hold down a job. For our economic future, for our kids educational success and for the stability of our families, our children need a deeper education that starts sooner and runs longer.

60% of the jobs in

the 21st Century will require skills held by only

20%

of the

current workforce.

There is growing consensus that beginning a childs education before kindergarten and finding ways to extend learning time after the school day ends are the surest paths to unlocking higher achievement and potential for our young people. But even as our competitors are investing in these innovations, New York City has lagged behind, lacking a comprehensive strategy to expand learning opportunities. New York City Public Advocate Bill de Blasio is calling for strategic investments to ensure we field the most productive and best-trained workforce possible, and to support working parents. Closing the Gap Nearly 50,000 children receive either no Pre-K or inadequate part-time Pre-K
7,500 19,880

Truly Universal Pre-K

Nationally, more than half of kindergarteners are not starting school with the skills they need, and New York is no exception.1 Those formative months and years are spent playing catch-up, entrenching an achievement gap that will follow many children throughout their education. We can break that cycle with earlier learning that firms up the fundamentals so all kids start school ready to learn. Under de Blasios plan, all four-year olds would have access to truly Universal Pre-K for the first time in New York Citys history, closing a gap of nearly 50,000 children who currently receive inadequate parttime Pre-K, or no Pre-K at all.2 These high-quality programs are proven to increase cognition, boost scores and build fundamental skills that put children on an upward educational path3.
1

38,177 2,500

Part-time Pre-K Full-day Pre-K

No Pre-K Unreported

Strengthening New York Businesses through Investments in Early Care and Education (2010) Americas Edge http://www.ocfs.state.ny.us/main/reports/Create_Jobs_Through_Early_Education.pdf 2 Numbers calculated with data from the Center for Childrens Initiatives, CCI Primer 2011: Key Facts about Early Care and Education in New York City. Online at http://www.centerforchildrensinitiatives.org/ccinyc/Website_PDF_s/CCI-Primer-2011_14.pdf 3 Heckman, James. Letter to National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. Online at http://www.heckmanequation.org/content/resource/letternational-commission-fiscal-responsibility-and-reform

Cost of Universal Pre-K for 4-Year Olds4

The Case for EARLY EDUCATION

7-18% annual return on investment Kids who receive early education are: 20% more likely to graduate high school 20% more likely to work their way out of poverty

Cost for full-day Pre-K Extending Pre-K from half-day to full-day # of Children Part-time Pre-K slots to be expanded to full day Full-day Pre-K slots to be created Leased space Total NEW Services/Cost 38,177 10,000 -48,177

$10,024/child $5,012/child Cost $191,343,124 $100,240,000 $50,000,000 $341,583,124

More Learning Time

Every day at 3pm, thousands of studentsmany of whom need academic helpleave school and stop learning. Its a missed opportunity, especially in that critical transition during middle school. Grades 6-8 are an important window for solidifying skills and social development.5 This is a period when parents involvement in education declines,6 and kids need to be kept off the streets and out of harms way.7 Adding new opportunities after school will ensure kids have somewhere safe to learn and develop.

Expanded Learning OPPORTUNITIES

$1,600 per child Reach two-thirds of all middle school students Grants up to $1 million for each middle school Size of grant program: $190 million

To complement early investments, de Blasio has laid out a plan to aggressively pursue expanded learning opportunities for nearly 120,000 middle school studentsadding new programs between 3 and 6pm in academics, culture and athletics. Grants to each school will enable Community-Based Organizations to partner with faculty and build out the school day so that students keep learning after the 3pm bell. These programs have a track record of success both in New York City and across the country, but until now have lacked the scale to reach the tens of thousands of students who need them.

Supporting these Investments

To fund this transformation, Public Advocate de Blasio is calling for an increase in NYC income tax on earners over $500,000 from 3.86% to 4.3%. The increase would yield $532 million in new revenue. By comparison, a similar surcharge implemented between 2003 and 2005 raised rates on earners over $150,000 to 4.46%. The 4.46% rate was also the top bracket for the surcharge implemented between 1991 and 1998 to finance the We are asking New Yorkers Safe Streets, Safe City initiative.

who are doing well to jumpstart a transformation for young people in need.

Income Current NYC income taxes Surcharge to fund education expansion

$500,000 $18,122 $0

$750,000 $27,812 $1,060

$1 million $2 million $37,502 $2,120 $76,262 $6,360

New York City Council Commission on the Campaign for Fiscal Equity. Re-engineering Reform: Adopting a New Approach to an Old Problem, October 2005. Online at http://centerforchildrensinitiatives.org/publications/CFE%20Report.pdf 5 Lorain, Peter. Brain Development in Young Adolescents: Good News for Middle School Teachers. Online at http://www.nea.org/tools/16653.htm 6 Halsey, Pamela. Parent Involvement in Junior High Schools: A Failure to Communicate American Secondary Education 34(1) Fall 2005 7 Afterschool Alliance. Afterschool Programs: Keeping Kidsand CommunitiesSafe, Issue Brief No. 27. April 2007 http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/issue_briefs/issue_CrimeIB_27.pdf
4