What you should know
- 40 children ages 6 weeks to 3 years will receive free, year-round care, putting up to $20,000 back in the pockets of working families
- New 4,000-square-foot facility at the David N. Dinkins Municipal Building features four classrooms
New classrooms at The Little Apple
NEW YORK – Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) Commissioner Yume Kitasei today announced the opening of The Little Apple, the City’s first free child care center for municipal employees and their families.
Located on the ground floor of the David N. Dinkins Municipal Building, The Little Apple will provide free, year-round, on-site child care to 40 children ages 6 weeks to 3 years beginning Sept. 10.
“As hundreds of thousands of New York City students head back to school Thursday, 40 of our youngest New Yorkers will begin a new chapter at our City’s first free child care center for municipal workers,” said Mayor Mamdani. “The Little Apple is what it looks like when a city takes care of the people who keep it running. Our babies and toddlers will spend their days in a brand-new, joyful center where they can learn, play and build friendships, while their parents have the peace of mind of knowing their children are safe, cared for and close by — all without having to choose between quality care and making ends meet.”
“Child care is one of the biggest costs facing working families in New York City, and we are proud to do our part in making that burden a little lighter for the employees that move our city forward,” said DCAS Commissioner Yume Kitasei. “The Little Apple gives city employees access to free, high-quality care right where they work, making it easier and more affordable to balance work and raising a family in New York City. In partnership with the Mamdani administration and Imagine Early Learning Centers, we’re proud to bring this new center to life and are so excited to finally open the doors to families and their little ones.”
“The opening of The Little Apple is an investment in our city’s dedicated public servants, who will no longer have to choose between child care and a paycheck, and an important step in our city’s all-of-government approach to universal childcare in NYC,” said Emmy Liss, Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of Child Care and Early Childhood Education. “Private businesses for years have understood the transformative impact of employer-provided child care on career development, employee retention and job satisfaction, not to mention relief from the crushing cost of child care in our city — it’s time we see those benefits realized for city employees. Today, the City is demonstrating what it truly means to meet parents where they are, and setting the national standard for affordable and accessible care for our youngest.”
The new 4,000-square-foot facility features four classrooms as well as a pantry, teacher’s lounge and stroller storage room. DCAS managed the $10 million renovation, overseeing its design and construction and delivering the project ahead of schedule and under budget.
By expanding access to free, on-site child care, the City is putting up to $20,000 a year back in the pockets of working families. The program will also help the City recruit and retain top talent, boost productivity and support working parents.
The Little Apple is operated by Imagine Early Learning Centers, a 100% employee-owned provider that serves more than 600 children at 12 child care centers across the New York metropolitan area. The center is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and offers an evidence-based curriculum focused on early learning, socialization and healthy development.
“Imagine is incredibly proud to partner with DCAS and the City of New York on this pioneering investment in working families,” said Imagine Early Learning Centers CEO Laura Tulchin. “The Little Apple brings together two things Imagine believes deeply: providing exceptional early childhood education and investing in the educators who make it possible. As a 100% employee-owned company, Imagine has seen firsthand that when educators have a voice, a stake and the support to thrive, children and families feel the difference.”
The David N. Dinkins Municipal Building, one of the largest government office buildings in the world, houses more than 2,000 employees across a dozen municipal agencies.
“Under Mayor Mamdani’s leadership, we are working to make New York City more equitable and affordable, and that includes supporting the public servants who serve New Yorkers every day,” said Department of Finance Commissioner Richard Lee. “The Little Apple child care program will strengthen the City workforce by increasing job satisfaction, boosting productivity and retaining top talent. We are proud to support this initiative, which will help ease the cost of living for City workers and make it easier for working parents to succeed both at work and at home.”
“Supporting New York City’s workforce also means supporting the families behind it,” said Department of Veterans’ Services Commissioner Yesenia Mata. “For our team, whose mission is centered on serving veterans and their families, we know how much access to dependable childcare matters. Having free, year-round childcare right here at 1 Centre Street gives working parents greater peace of mind and makes it a little easier to balance the responsibilities of work and family. We’re proud to welcome the Little Apple to our building and excited for what it will mean for the families who work here.”
“Our city’s workforce is better able to support communities when we better support the workforce,” said Deanna Logan, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice. “This is a win for workers who are trying to raise a family while simultaneously serving the city; but it’s also a win for New Yorkers, who benefit when good employees don’t have to choose between their jobs and their childcare duties.”
“The Little Apple program sends a clear message that parents no longer have to choose between civil service and the rising costs of parenthood,” said NYC Comptroller Mark Levine. “Free childcare directly downstairs from their office removes a significant financial burden, makes dropoffs and pickups much easier and helps everyone thrive. I look forward to hearing feedback from our Comptroller’s office employees whose kids will be in the program this year.”
“Making child care accessible is critical to ensuring working New Yorkers can afford to raise their families in the city that they love,” said Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams. “This pilot will give back time, money and peace of mind to working families and help us retain the public servants that our city relies on every day. I’m thrilled that the center is opening before the first day of school in the Dinkins building, home to my office and thousands of employees across agencies, so that city workers and their children can start the year off feeling strong and supported.”
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