Council highlights new childcare center and bills to expand early-childhood transparency and access

Speaker Menon told the council that a childcare center in her district, completed in July 2025, will open later this year and thanked the mayor for joining the announcement. She framed the opening as part of the council’s commitment to universal childcare and said the city has lost hundreds of providers: "We've actually lost 853 providers in New York City in recent years," she said.

Menon urged families with children ages 3 and 4 to apply for 3‑K and pre‑K, warning there were only "literally only 3 days left" to apply and encouraging use of the city's family welcome centers and online portals.

Council member Jennifer Gutierrez presented Intro 203, which would require the Department of Education to publish quarterly public reports on payments to early‑childhood and special‑education providers. Gutierrez said the reporting would include invoice approvals, payment advances, timelines and outstanding balances to make transparent chronic payment delays that have left providers owed "hundreds of millions of dollars in back payments." She said consistent public reporting would help identify where payments are getting stuck and allow policymakers and advocates to address problems sooner.

No vote on Intro 203 was recorded in the session; the measure was presented for consideration.