Ms. Rachel, YouTube star known as 'Beyoncé for toddlers,' calls out NYC mayor for preschool cuts
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NEW YORK - Ms. Rachel, the YouTube star known as the "Beyoncé for toddlers," took a break from singing and rhyming to call out NYC Mayor Eric Adams for budget cuts to pre-K and 3-K programs.
"I want to be the best advocate I can be for families with young children," Ms. Rachel, whose real name is Rachel Accurso, said in a TikTok video posted Tuesday. "Here in New York City, our mayor cut $400 million from early childhood education programs and is proposing more cuts."
"Parents are really struggling to find affordable high-quality child care," she added.
Adams previously announced that the city would slash $170 million from early childhood education programs as a part of budget cuts announced in November and January, Chalkbeat reported. NYC is also losing pandemic-era federal funding supporting its 3-K program and preschools.
"All children having access to the option of high-quality early-childhood education is going to help the children for their whole lives and is literally going to create a better world for all of us and for future generations," Accurso, a teacher-turned-influencer, explained.
In the caption, she urged followers to sign a petition from New Yorkers United For Child Care that asks Adams to stop the cuts,
According to a recent report, over 80% of New York City families cannot afford child care, forcing many of these families to leave NYC.
"A family would need to make more than $300,000 a year on average to afford childcare in NYC," said Grace Rauh, Executive Director of 5Boro Institute.
"It's almost like paying another mortgage," one parent told FOX 5 NY.
Free early childhood education helps lift this burden, experts say.
At a City Council budget hearing in March, NYC Schools Chancellor David Banks said he was "fighting like heck to get these cuts restored," Chalkbeat reported.
"I have great confidence in the coming weeks we will have really good news around early childhood," he said at the time.
