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Agency Testimony

Chancellor on teacher pipeline and early childhood education

New York City Council · Jun 8, 2026 · starts 0:11:29 · 1 min 36 sec

The Chancellor highlights CUNY's role as New York's primary talent engine, preparing one-third of new NYC public school teachers with a 17% higher five-year retention rate, and its early childhood education pipeline with 3,600 students across 50 programs.

Félix Matos Rodríguez

These efforts build on one of CUNY's redefining roles, serving as New York's primary talent engine for many of the essential sectors that keep the city running.

Félix Matos Rodríguez

We prepare more than one-third of all new New York City public school teachers each year, and more than 40% of the students of color in New York State.

Félix Matos Rodríguez

I am proud that city teachers from CUNY have a 17% higher

Félix Matos Rodríguez

five-year retention rate than those from other institutions.

Félix Matos Rodríguez

This CUNY teacher pipeline is essential to addressing the statewide teacher shortage, and this year, for example, we tripled the number of CUNY students in the Teaching Fellows program.

Félix Matos Rodríguez

More than 15,000 students have participated in the program since its inception, including the current school's chancellor, Kamar Samuels.

Félix Matos Rodríguez

A critical priority for Governor Hochul, Mayor Mandani, Speaker Menin, and this council is the shared goals of universal child care.

Félix Matos Rodríguez

CUNY is uniquely positioned to meet the moment.

Félix Matos Rodríguez

The university already enrolls more than 3,600 early childhood education students across 50 academic programs, making us the primary engine for training the educators needed

Félix Matos Rodríguez

to make this effort successful.

Félix Matos Rodríguez

We're expanding that pipeline through the statewide New York Early Childhood Professional Development Institute, and we're also launching new programs in early childhood leadership and administration, addressing a critical shortage in the field.