Findings from the ad hoc group of concerned parents about the availability and affordability of childcare in the Park Slope and Brooklyn area

September 17, 2009

A full copy of the Park Slope & Vicinity Child Care Survey report is posted on
the PSP Web site HERE:

Dear Friends,

I am very pleased to report the results of the survey that the Park Slope &
Vicinity Child Care Working Group conducted last May on daycare/preschool
availability, affordability, and satisfaction in our area. First, many thanks
to the 377 families, representing 486 children not yet in kindergarten, who
responded to the survey posted on PSP and other local listservs! This was a
great turnout--about half from Park Slope and half from neighboring communities.
Before getting to the results, a huge shout-out to Dominique Bravo, a board
member of Montessori Day School and member of the Child Care Committee, who
worked tirelessly to build and analyze the survey and to all of our committee
members.

The results were extremely interesting. Some of the most striking findings
were:

-Of the 486 children reported in the survey, roughly half were being cared for
at home (230) and half cared for at a child-care facility (252). Of the 230
children being cared for at home, approximately two-thirds were cared for by
paid caregivers (149), and one- third had unpaid care (81), presumably by a
parent or other relative.

- Out of the 112 children ages 2-4 being cared for at home, the families of only
52% (59 children) said that home-based care was their preference. Families who
would have preferred an out-of-home option cited a variety of reasons for having
their children cared for at home, predominately the high cost of group care, an
inability to find a facility for children under age 2, or an inability to be
accepted to a day care center.

- Of the 237 families who answered a question about satisfaction with their
children's group daycare/preschool or other group care facility (roughly divided
between those in full- and part-time preschool), only about three in ten (30% or
72) said that they were very satisfied and wouldn't change anything about their
childcare facility. Among the 237 respondents to this question, 38% (89)
identified the cost as a "severe strain" on their family's finances.

-The cost of childcare facilities varied considerably by neighborhood, with the
largest number of people (46%, or 97) paying $9,000 to $18,000 per year.

As you may have read, some of these results were written up in the issue of
Brooklyn Papers : The  hook for the story was that Brad Lander, who is now the Democratic City Council
nominee for District 39, and who was an active member of the child care
committee, has proposed a Child Care Opportunity Zone for an area roughly
corresponding to school District 15. It's a cool idea that--among other
goals--aims to make it easier for child care centers to open and promotes better
integration of low-income and middle-income families in our existing child care
centers. It would be amazing if our area could serve as an incubator for
improving access to child care for everyone.

To contact the Child Care Working Group, please send email to:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ,

Thanks again for all your help! Hopefully we can use this information to promote
some better child care policies in our area.
Barbara Kancelbaum