New Community Impact Policy Institute Report Calls for Integrating Child Care and Schools to Strengthen Early Learning

New York, NY — The Community Impact Policy Institute, the research and policy arm of Fedcap, today released a new report, It Takes a Village: Opening Doors to Child Care Through Seamless Integration with the Education System, which outlines a strategy to expand access to high quality child care by better integrating it with education systems across New York State.  

The report is released as New York State and New York City continue to increase investments in early childhood education. Recent initiatives advanced by the New York State Governor and New York City Mayor reflect growing recognition that child care and early education support workforce participation, family stability, and long-term educational outcomes.

CIPI’s report focuses on the need to move beyond short-term stabilization toward structural alignment. A central recommendation is the adoption of co-location models that place child care, early intervention, and early education programs within existing school buildings and other public facilities. These models can increase capacity, reduce costs, and improve continuity for children and families from birth through kindergarten.

“New York has made significant investments in early education, and those investments create an opportunity to think differently about how child care is delivered,” said Christine McMahon, President and CEO of Fedcap. “Our report outlines how integrating child care with public education—particularly through co-located, school-based models—can expand access, support working families, and strengthen early learning outcomes. It aligns with the direction the Governor and Mayor have set and offers practical steps to build on that progress.”

The report documents ongoing challenges in New York’s child care system, including high costs, staffing shortages, uneven provider capacity, and the prevalence of child care deserts. It finds that co-location can help address these issues by making use of existing public space, reducing administrative barriers, supporting workforce development, and aligning early learning with the state’s broader education framework.

In addition to co-location, the report recommends:

• Streamlining facility and licensing regulations to speed the expansion of child care capacity;

• Strengthening workforce pathways through partnerships with SUNY, CUNY, and registered apprenticeship programs; and

• Incorporating child care and early learning data into New York’s P–20 education data system to improve alignment and accountability.

Together, the recommendations are intended to complement recent state and city investments by translating funding into lasting capacity and more consistent access to child care and early education. The paper was authored by Jim Malatras, Ph.D., Director of the Community Impact Policy Institute and Chief Strategy Officer and Senior Vice President for Education at The Fedcap Group; Jay K. Varma, M.D., Senior Health Fellow at the Community Impact Policy Institute and Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President for Health at The Fedcap Group; and Bill Nichols, Senior Fellow at the Community Impact Policy Institute and editor of Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity.

The full report is available here through the Community Impact Policy Institute.