For undocumented families coming into the U.S., the hope for a better life can be derailed by a lack of child care options. While many families in New York City struggle with the complexities of child care, for those who don’t qualify for state or federal programs due to their status, the result can be overwhelming. A program called Promise NYC is working to change that.
For people like Malka (whose last name we’re not sharing for her safety), the organization has been a lifesaver. Back in Colombia, Malka was living in constant fear after her first husband was assassinated by a violent militant group four years ago.
Despite moving multiple times within the country, the militant group continued to threaten Malka and her son. In 2022, Malka fled Colombia along with her infant daughter and the rest of her family. She left behind a business, but she could no longer sacrifice her family’s safety.
“It was scary to be in unfamiliar countries, especially because I was traveling with my 1-year-old daughter,” Malka said.
When they arrived in Jackson Heights to live with her sister, Malka and her second husband could not get jobs for over a year because they didn’t have work authorization. They also didn’t have anyone to look after their daughter.
It was only when she heard about Promise NYC that she could finally enroll her child at a day care center and accept work cleaning houses.
“This was the best thing that could have happened to us. The center is close to where we live, so my daughter is safe and happy in daycare while we spend the day working,” Malka said.
What is Promise NYC and who does it serve?
Promise NYC is an initiative sponsored by the NYC Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) that launched in January 2023. The program pays for child care for low-income undocumented children through city-subsidized vouchers. The vouchers cover up to $700 a week for licensed child care providers across the city. In New York City, full-time child care for infants can cost up to $900 dollars a week.
The program was created to serve the growing influx of recently arrived migrants, whose primary barriers to sustaining themselves in NYC are getting jobs and finding suitable care for their children while they work. In many cases, migrants have had to forfeit job prospects because of a lack of child care. Being undocumented makes them ineligible for other federally funded child care assistance like the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
Head Start is another federally funded program for eligible families who fall under certain income restrictions, offering free early childhood education programs that aim to prepare children for school. They include daycare, health screenings and meals for children up to 5 years old. Head Start does not ask for proof of citizenship or legal immigration status when applying – so it’s another valuable resource for undocumented families. In contrast, Promise NYC’s main purpose is to cover the cost of child care for undocumented families by connecting them with a provider based on the family’s preferences (mainly to ease travel impediments, which uniquely impact recently arrived migrants). It’s also offered specifically to low-income families with children up to age 13 whose immigration status makes them ineligible for any other federally funded child care.
According to a 2024 survey conducted by the New York Immigration Coalition and Algun Dia, 83% of immigrant street vendors want to pursue other lines of work but not having access to child care holds them back. Additionally, 42% noted one of the biggest obstacles for them is access to child care, yet many in the surveyed group “were unaware of childcare opportunities such as Promise NYC, underutilized child care centers, or pre-K programs.”
Four organizations contract with the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) to match migrant families in their respective boroughs with the child care centers most convenient for them. The Chinese American Planning Council covers families in Queens, NMIC covers the Bronx and Manhattan, the Center for Family Life covers Brooklyn and La Colmena covers Staten Island.
Promise NYC staff working on the ground
At the Chinese American Planning Council (CPC), a Promise NYC staff member was seeking asylum himself, just 10 years ago.
Edwin Rodriguez crossed the border illegally into the U.S. at 17. After an uptick in gang violence in El Salvador, his father insisted that he leave and join him in Brooklyn. The journey took 15 days, where Rodriguez traveled with just one other teenage boy by bus, by foot and by swimming across a river into Texas.
“That experience at that age was terrifying. But it was the best decision I ever made and I’m now able to give back to immigrant kids who can get help that I couldn’t back then,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez is the family wellness specialist who signs up families for Promise NYC in person and then maintains contact with them over the phone and email every month. He works with a team of only three Promise NYC regular staff members at the Chinese American Planning Council, serving more than 200 families.
Katie Iles, the child care outreach specialist, was adopted from China and is interested in social work and getting involved with an organization that serves AAPI immigrants. Each of the contracted organizations with Promise NYC serve a diverse group of migrant families. At CPC there are migrant families who qualify from China, Russia, Guinea and Kenya, but most of the families come from Venezuela and Colombia.
“There have been a lot of single moms, who say, ‘I have no person to watch my children – I need this immediately’. And we can see that a lot of children have been through trauma,” Iles said.
After doing mental health screenings at shelters, CPC found that scores of parents and their kids indicated that they’re likely to need some type of mental health treatment because they’re experiencing depression, anxiety or stress after migrating to the US.
The greatest difficulty that the team encounters is being unable to give any family who wants free child care what they need, and often having to tell them to wait.
“Our budget can’t accommodate every single family,” Andres Moreno, the family wellness coordinator at CPC, said.
Currently, CPC has about 225 families on their waitlist, which grows every day. There are hundreds of families on each of the four organizations’ waitlists, according to Liza Schwartzwald, the director of economic justice and family empowerment at the New York Immigration Coalition.
Another challenge is maintaining communication with families.
When someone on the waitlist moves to a different state or changes their phone number the staff loses ways of reaching out to and tracking them.
Promise NYC shows potential, but its future is not guaranteed
Recently, advocacy organizations like CPC helped influence the mayor and City Council to increase their budget toward early childhood programs, including Promise NYC. In 2023, Promise NYC served 600 families. The executive budget for the Fiscal Year 2025 has increased from $16 to $25 million, meaning “Promise NYC could serve 400 to 500 additional families,” Schwartzwald said.
“There have been a massive amount of positive results that come from investing in quality early childhood programming and care, like Promise NYC, and many migrants are coming to New York and the United States, for opportunities of a better life for their children,” Schwartzwald said.
She also points out that undocumented immigrant New Yorkers pay $3.1 billion in federal, state and local taxes. “Undocumented families should have the ability to be eligible for the same services that the other taxpaying families in NYC qualify for.”
Although the rollout has been pretty seamless, advocates and Promise NYC staff remain cautiously optimistic. The program has seen increased budget support this year, but beyond 2025, the program must be renewed continuously.
“The program was originally meant to be short-term so there’s always a chance that it could get cut from the city’s budget after June 2025, should a new mayor come into office. We’re going to be advocating June next year to let legislators know that the program is still really necessary for our families,” Moreno said.
With the help of Promise NYC, Malka’s daughter, along with hundreds of migrant children, are offered subsidized day care where the high costs are covered regardless of their status.
“Back in my home country, I had a job. I had my friends and family. Given that New York City is really expensive, it’s been really difficult trying to raise my daughter,” Malka said.
Now, Malka can focus on her job, work longer hours and have peace of mind knowing that her daughter is being looked after by licensed child caretakers that she trusts.
Find out if you qualify for the program and learn how to apply.
If you are undocumented and in need of child care services, you can contact any of these four organizations to schedule a screening to see if you qualify or ask to join a waitlist.
- Chinese American Planning Council (Queens):
- Located at 133-14 41st Ave, Flushing NY, 11355
- Email Andres Moreno amoreno@cpc-nyc.org or Edwin Rodriguez erodriguez@cpc-nyc.org or text 934-223-9525 (for any waitlist or enrollment inquiries, as he oversees intakes).
- NMIC (Bronx and Manhattan):
- Located at 45 Wadsworth Ave., New York, NY 10033
- Email promisenyc@nmic.org or call 929-415-3999
- The Center for Family Life (Brooklyn):
- Located at 443 39th St., Brooklyn, NY 11232
- Email Carrie Stewart c.stewart@centerforfamilylife.org or text 718-438-9500
- La Colmena (Staten Island):
- Located at 774 Port Richmond Ave, Staten Island, New York 10302 and 88 Canal St, Staten Island, New York 10304
- Email Judith Prado judith@lacolmenanyc.org or call 718-442-7700
This story has used a Spanish translator to assist in interviewing migrants.
Read more of our immigration stories here.
