Chair Gutiérrez asks about cost per provider and flat rates
Gutiérrez asks how provider costs are determined. Liss explains providers receive a cost per child based on program operating costs, with four flat rates for center-based and family child care, extended day vs school day.
Can you quickly, and then I'll pass it to my colleagues, can you share a little bit about how you all determine the cost for each provider, essentially, like how you were able to dole out those dollars?
Yes, absolutely.
So every provider receives essentially a cost per child times the number of children who are in their program.
And the 2K funding structure, those cost per child amounts, were developed based on an analysis of program operating costs, our existing early childhood program models, staffing requirements, program hours, facility costs, and administrative costs.
We also looked at how 2K compares to 3K and pre-K in terms of sort of the structural funding cost.
So, for example, a 2K classroom is smaller in terms of the number of children than a 3K or pre-K classroom in order to maintain healthy and safe ratios.
And so, therefore, the cost per child is higher because your fixed costs of staff and facilities are the same.
We offered this year a sort of flat rate.
to providers.
There are four of them.
There is a rate for center-based providers offering an extended day and year, a rate for center-based providers offering a schools year in your program,
a rate for family child care providers offering an extended day, and the fourth is a rate for family child care providers offering a school day and year program.
We also did allow providers who may have demonstrably higher rent or significant other fixed costs that exceed that flat rate to, with evidence, bring that to New York City public schools.
Overall, this funding structure is really intended to support providers, strengthen the early childhood program across the city, and allow us to expand in a sustainable way.