Mayor Mamdani Announces Nearly $700,000 In New Investments In Early Childhood Educator Apprenticeships To Advance Universal Child Care Efforts Across The City

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 2, 2026

CONTACT: Matthew Beller - mbeller@talent.nyc.gov

City of New York Has Now Invested More Than $1.2M to Transform How Educators are Recruited and Prepared to Educate New York’s Youngest Learners

Apprenticeships Are the Gold Standard for Talent Development and Make the City More Affordable and Equitable for Working New Yorkers

NEW YORK – Today, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani, the NYC Office of Talent and Workforce Development (NYC Talent), and the Mayor’s Office of Child Care and Early Childhood Education (OCCECE) announced new investments of $667,190 to expand two apprenticeship training programs in early childhood education (ECE). This investment brings the total to over $1.2 million invested in ECE apprenticeships by NYC Talent to transform the way we recruit, train, and retain early childhood educators. Apprenticeship is widely recognized as the gold standard for talent development because it provides employers with a sustainable pipeline of workers customized to their business needs while allowing job seekers the opportunity to get paid on the job training, mentorship, access to certifications and real career advancement.

NYC Talent’s has expanded investments two ECE apprenticeship providers:

$367,190 to CUNY Professional Development Institute (PDI) to enroll 30 new ECE apprentices, doubling its commitments to 60 total apprentices over three years supported by NYC Talent’s $667,190 total investment.
$300,000 to The Kennedy Children’s Center (KCC) to enroll 16 new apprentices, increasing to 51 apprentices over three years supported via $600,000 in total investment.

Today’s announcement builds on NYC Talent’s work to expand apprenticeship opportunities citywide through its Apprenticeship Accelerator team, which has invested $2.1 million to pioneer innovative workforce models and expand apprenticeships in diverse sectors, including early childhood education, tech, and healthcare. These investments reflect the administration’s commitment to build a stronger workforce and support working families through improved access to good jobs and child care.

"Investing in early child care apprenticeships is how we build the workforce capacity necessary to deliver universal childcare and create more pathways to careers in education," said Mayor Mamdani. "This model benefits employers, workers and students: it reduces turnover, expands the educator talent pool, and enhances the quality of education for our youngest learners.“

"Child care workers and educators are the foundation of our economy, making it possible for parents across the city to join the workforce and children to lead long, healthy lives," said Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su. "When we invest in apprenticeships, we are investing in the future of our workforce, the future our kids, and the future of our city."

“Early childhood education is a critical part of our city’s infrastructure, and we know it is only as strong as the workforce behind it,” said Doug Lipari, Executive Director of NYC Talent. “NYC Talent is proud to deliver for workers through these apprenticeship programs that offer New Yorkers a paid pathway to skills, credentials, and career advancement, while helping employers build sustainable talent pipelines. Apprenticeship is a critical part of an equitable citywide workforce strategy that connects New Yorkers to good jobs, and helps create a strong, inclusive economy.”

“There is no early childhood education without early childhood educators. As we expand high-quality, affordable, and universal childcare, expanding the pool of professionals working with our youngest New Yorkers must be a priority in tandem,” said Emmy Liss, Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of Child Care and Early Childhood Education. “These apprenticeships will give educators access to additional resources and support that can help carve a path to long-term career advancement and ultimately deliver every child the bright start in life they deserve.”

In fields like entry-level early childhood education, which have historically struggled with lower wages and high turnover, apprenticeships break down systemic barriers to employment, scaffold against common pitfalls, and provide a vital pathway to long-term career advancement. The apprenticeship programs at PDI and KCC, both blend robust community outreach, certifications in industry-recognized credentials, ongoing mentorship, college advisement and education subsidies, paid on-the-job training and access to vital supportive services to help apprentices break ground and build their careers in early childhood education. While childcare businesses citywide struggle with employee retention, these apprenticeships are demonstrating the value of apprenticeship in improving outcomes that are equally important to workers—who are overwhelmingly women of color—and the families that depend on them:

CUNY PDI’s apprenticeship posted one-year retention rates of 80%;
KCC’s apprenticeship improved their overall retention by more than 20%, with 86% of early childhood educator apprentices still employed after one year.

Many graduates of these programs continue their education and career pathways to achieve higher education degrees, credentials including opportunities to join unions and to receive increased wages and benefits.

"Early childhood educators are the backbone of this city's child care system, and for too long we have asked them to carry that weight on poverty wages with no clear path forward. At our April hearing, this committee made clear that the workforce crisis in early childhood education demands the same urgency we bring to any other infrastructure emergency. This investment in apprenticeships at CUNY PDI and the Kennedy Children's Center is exactly the kind of commitment we pushed for: paid, structured pathways that keep educators in the classroom and build real careers," said Council Member Julie Won. "As Chair of the Workforce Development Committee, I understand that the task of making New York City affordable and attractive for families begins with making sure the people who care for our children can afford to stay in this city themselves. That starts with paying them what they are worth and building careers that give them a reason to stay."

"Investing in our City's workforce strengthens our economy and sends a strong message to New Yorkers that local government has their back" said Council Member Jennifer Gutierrez, Chair for the Council's Subcommittee on Early Childhood Education. "We must take care of our existing workforce as we grow into a universal childcare system, and we must make sure we are attracting the best new talent to care for our youngest learners. These apprenticeships will do just that. This additional investment of $700k by Mayor Mamdani is crucial. This Administration is laser focused on improving our communities and I am so thrilled that New Yorkers can pursue a career in early childhood education with significantly less barriers."

Achieving universal childcare requires a strong, well-prepared workforce, and CUNY is proud to partner with Mayor Mamdani and NYC Talent to deliver on that mission,” said CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. “By expanding apprenticeships at the CUNY Professional Development Institute, we create a direct path to rewarding careers for New Yorkers. That investment generates a powerful return across New York: skilled educators build stable futures, families gain the reliable care they depend on, and our whole city thrives.”

“As New York City expands access to child care, we must also ensure that educators have meaningful pathways to enter the profession, develop their expertise, and build lasting careers. Apprenticeships bring together paid, hands-on experience with education, mentorship, and career support, creating opportunities for professional growth. We are grateful for the City’s continued investment in this model and in the strong, skilled early childhood workforce needed to serve New York City’s children and families,” said Dona Anderson, Executive Director, New York Early Childhood Professional Development Institute.

“Grow Your Own was built on a simple idea: the talent our schools need already exists in our communities, but too many aspiring educators face barriers to turning their passion into a career," said Carolyn Cleveland, CEO of the Kennedy Children's Center. "Through our partnership with NYC Talent, we are opening a pathway that enables motivated community members to enter the field as teacher assistants and continue building the skills, credentials, and experience to become certified teachers and school building leaders. This investment allows us to open that pathway to more New Yorkers, creating economic opportunity and a more diverse educator workforce while building the skilled early childhood special education workforce that NYC's children urgently need.”

"The early childhood teacher pipeline challenge demands bold, coordinated action starting with investment in local talent and community-rooted educator pathways through apprenticeships. Early childhood and K–12 educators together shape every child’s development and prepare the future workers, innovators, and leaders who will drive every industry across the city," said Colleen McDonald, Director, NYS Educator Workforce Development HUB.

NYC Talent aligns efforts across the city's public-private workforce development ecosystem, provides data and policy expertise, and supports program innovations and process improvements for services offered by the City of New York and other workforce stakeholders. NYC Talent works in partnership with government, employers, industry professionals, educational institutions, nonprofits, and philanthropic organizations to ensure the City's workforce development strategy aligns with employer demand, jobseekers’ needs, and the rapidly changing economy.

The Mayor’s Office of Child Care and Early Childhood Education (OCCECE) is responsible for delivering on the Mayor’s Universal Child Care priority. This includes setting the Administration’s child care strategy, coordinating work across City agencies to deliver a high-quality early care and education system that is responsive to child care providers and meets family needs, collaborating with a range of partners internal and external to City government, and engaging with the public. The Office serves as a central hub for citywide policy implementation and coordination across more than a dozen agencies, including New York City Public Schools (NYCPS), Administration of Children’s Services (ACS), Department of Health & Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), and Department of Social Services (DSS), and fosters strategic partnerships with all levels of government, private entities, nonprofits, and foundations. The Office works closely with families and providers to ensure their voices are represented in the design and implementation of City policy and programs.

CUNY Professional Development Institute (PDI) is a public-private partnership at the City University of New York working to elevate the field of early childhood in New York State through research, public policy, higher education and professional learning. CUNY PDI uses a dynamic, multifaceted approach to build and strengthen New York’s early childhood workforce. As a statewide project at the nation’s largest urban university, the initiatives harness the knowledge and experience of experts across the field of early care and learning.

Kennedy Children’s Center (KCC) provides high-quality education services to more than 400 young children with developmental delays every day, in partnership with families and communities. KCC’s child-centered, evidence-based instruction prepares each student to enter the New York City public school system in the least restrictive environment possible. KCC supports families with training, guidance, and advocacy, and strengthens its school community through professional development and collaborations with local human service organizations. KCC is also committed to empowering a new generation of early childhood educators through its Grow Your Own Teacher Assistant and Teacher Training Program (GYO).

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