She teaches the mayor.
Beloved children’s YouTube star Ms. Rachel has called out New York City Mayor Eric Adams for cutting hundreds of millions of dollars from early childhood education, pointing out that the Investment in the program provides returns that last “for the lifetime” of the children.
“Parents are really struggling to find affordable, high-quality child care,” Ms Rachel – real name Rachel Accurso – said on TikTok on Tuesday.
“Here in New York, our mayor has cut $400 million from early childhood education programs and is proposing other cuts,” the former preschool teacher-turned-influencer explained.
TikTok/Ms. Rachel
“All children having access to the option of high-quality early childhood education will help them throughout their lives and literally create a better world for all of us and for future generations,” Accurso added.
“For every dollar invested in early childhood education, you get between four and 16 dollars back,” noted the mother of one – who has amassed 9.2 million followers on YouTube with her “Songs for Littles” series “.
Accurso wrote in her post that she was traveling to Washington, D.C., to advocate for those affected by child care cuts, and viewers signed a petition on the New Yorkers United for Child Care website .
Accurso did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
Adams’ controversial cuts to the city’s free 3-K and pre-K schools have caused panic among local parents, many of whom rely on child care and early education programs.
The current administration plans to cut another 14% of the budget in 2025, New Yorkers United for Child Care told CBS News.
Last month, Schools Chancellor David Banks said the Department of Education was “fighting like hell” to save programs from deep cuts as COVID funding dried up.
“We all agree that we must find a source of long-term funding for the 3-K program,” Banks said in the Times letter.
“We are committed to doing this – to ensure that 3-K is here to stay and that we are able to offer a full range of excellent early childhood programs to all of our families,” he added .
The administration also noted that it offered 46,000 3-K spots last school year and filled about 83 percent of them.
Going forward, the focus will be on distributing seats across neighborhoods — so that programs are available where families want them most, officials said.
In its response to Adams’ budget proposals, the City Council demanded that the administration restore funding and increase the number of seats in the city’s 3-K and pre-K programs with an additional $45 million cash infusion of dollars, Chalkbeat New York reported.
“Along with housing, early childhood education has risen to the forefront of working and middle-class families. We must strengthen our early childhood education system, which has been plagued by bureaucratic challenges and undermined by budget cuts,” Council President Adrienne Adams said of the issue.
New York Post
