Child Care
A strong child care system is the backbone of a strong city—with it, parents can work, care providers earn a living wage, and children don’t get left behind. Robin Hood is fighting for New York's youngest to have a strong start in life.
450
K
The number of children living below the poverty line in NYC
50
%
Of NYC neighborhoods are considered child care deserts, with at least three children per available child care seat
21
%
Of NYC parents experienced at least one form of child care hardship
Solutions We’re Funding
All Our Kin, Robin Hood Grantee
Family child care providers are small-business owners, mostly women, and they are the backbone of infant and toddler care in NYC. But they receive less training and fewer resources than center-based providers.
Our grantee, All Our Kin, supports family child care providers in the South Bronx and beyond, offering one-on-one coaching, business training, and leadership development to help strengthen the quality of their programs and keep their doors open for families who depend on them. All Our Kin provides training in early childhood education, business management, and leadership skills for family child care providers to improve the availability of high-quality child care in high-need areas
Last year, All Our Kin worked with more than 300 educators serving over 3,000 children in the Bronx, helped nine providers secure their licenses (opening roughly 150 new child care seats), and engaged 55 educators through its Business Series to strengthen the financial and operational health of their programs. Children in the care of All Our Kin-trained providers outperform their peers in language and literacy, math, and social-emotional development — demonstrating that investing in providers is one of the most direct ways to improve outcomes for children.
2/8
Programs & Special Initiatives
In 2025, Robin Hood improved the quality and stability of more than 1,200 child care programs through proven coaching, staff training, and business support. We also expanded access to affordable care — enabling 2,500 families to use cost-lowering vouchers and helping more than 140,000 families apply for public child care assistance and Pre-K/3-K seats.
Policies We Support
Access
Streamlining enrollment efforts so more eligible New Yorkers receive child care assistance.
Ensuring parents who work variable hours can access child care by ending the state’s practice of tying child care assistance to parents’ exact hours of work.
Affordability
Increasing child care subsidies to lessen the financial burden on families.
Quality
Supporting training initiatives that strengthen the child care workforce, and advocate for better pay.
Evidence
Robin Hood’s policy positions on this issue are informed by our funded and in-house research efforts.