Waste of the Day: NYC Spent $350,000 on Study, Mismanaged Preschool Program Anyway

Topline: New York City’s universal preschool program wasn’t so universal this year, as thousands of three-year-olds were denied a seat.

Preschool study had flawed data

That’s partially because a $350,000 study to determine which neighborhoods had the highest demand for preschools is filled with inaccurate data and is missing other important data, according to the education news site Chalkbeat.

Key facts: Mayor Eric Adams justified budget cuts to the city’s preschool program by saying there were too many unfilled seats and hired consultants at Accenture to fix it. But the 37-page report reviewed by Chalkbeat doesn’t offer any specific info on which schools have too many seats and which have too few.

The report also made recommendations to the city based on projections showing that over 54,000 students would apply for preschool. The actual number was 27% lower.

The study began in March 2023, but the city did not release the results to journalists or city council members until this July, months after parents received admissions offers for their toddlers. The Department of Education says the rest of the study is still ongoing.

Rita Joseph, the head of the City Council education committee, gave a simple statement to Chalkbeat: “I would try to get a refund.”

It’s a stunning case of mismanagement. This year, 43,000 families applied for 52,000 preschool seats, but over 2,500 children were rejected because they lived nowhere near the schools with open spots, according to nonprofit newsroom The City. Others were only offered enrollment in preschools miles away from their home.

Where will the rejected pupils go?

The Department of Education is working to find seats for the rejected students. The city is also planning a $5 million advertising campaign about free preschool, even though existing applicants are being turned away.

Background: Wacky studies are nothing new for New York. The city recently completed research on the effectiveness of trash cans and will hire scientists to figure out why commuters don’t want to pay subway fares.

The $350,000 preschool study stands out because Adams has consistently cut funding for universal preschool. He’s slashed the budget by $400 million since 2022 and wants another 16% reduction next year.

Meanwhile, the city is late with payments to its preschool providers, owing hundreds of them over $400 million as of early last year — leading Bloomberg Businessweek to declare that the program is “dying.”

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Critical quote: “I am flabbergasted that we’ve been waiting a year and a half for this,” Councilman Lincoln Restler told Chalkbeat when the study was released. “It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out where the applications are coming from and where to connect students and families with seats.”

Summary

Summary: If New York is going to reduce its preschool spending, it needs to make sure the money it does allocate is spent efficiently.

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This article was originally published by RealClearInvestigations and made available via RealClearWire.