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NYC Administration for Children's Services: The City's child welfare agency, dedicated to protecting children and strengthening families
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Child Care & Head Start

City Map
Find a program near you using CityMap

  1. type your address and select the borough in the upper right-hand corner in the NEW SEARCH box 
  2. Then select “Day Care Center” or “Head Start Program” from the drop-down box of “Show Nearest” box
  3. click on the arrow or hit “enter”  -- the printable map will then be populated with programs nearby as well as create a listing of these programs
ACS's Division of Child Care and Head Start administers the largest publicly-funded childcare system in the country, serving approximately 120,000 infants, toddlers, and school-aged children. This includes the Head Start program, a federally funded, family–centered child development program for low-income children ages 3-5, that promotes intellectual, social, emotional and physical growth in order to develop each child’s potential for successful living. Head Start also offers family members opportunities and support for growth and change.

Child Care Program

Head Start Program

Child Care Eligibility Wizard
Find out if you qualify for
subsidized child care



Letter Translations

A group of our parents received a letter dated May 4, 2012 regarding the outcome of the EarlyLearn NYC contracting process, not every parent received this letter. As indicated in this letter, below are links to the text translated. If you have questions about this letter, contact your child care provider.




Information for Providers

Website (URL) address for Web-based Enrollment System 

Below is the link to the Web-based Enrollment System (WES). Simply clink on this link to bring you to the sign-in page: https://a069-ra1.nyc.gov/WES

Agency Self-Assessment

ACS Child Care & Head Start remains committed to reflective practice in its support of all early care and education environments in New York City as Reflection-in-action is the only means to building true excellence.  The Agency Self-Assessment launches February 1st. Click here to download 2012 Self-Assessment materials and submission packet

2011 Market Rates for Voucher Providers

New York State Office of Children and Family Services established the maximum rates for New York City Child Care.  Rate increases may be requested once a year and must be justified with documentation.  The request and documentation process requires the submission of a completed application.  Please use the appropriate instructions and application, based on the type of program/provider, by clicking on the link below: 

Legally-Exempt/Informal Child Care Provider Enrollment

New York State regulations require all legally-exempt child care providers (also known as informal providers) who provide child care services for a child residing in New York City to be approved, enrolled, and monitored by the Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation (WHEDco), New York City’s Legally-Exempt Enrollment Agency. Learn more and get the required forms

Field Trip Administrative Advisory for Child Care and Head Start Providers

ACS encourages programs to provide opportunities to enrich and expand children's experiences through developmentally appropriate neighborhood walks and field trips. All trips require written parental consent and should be planned to ensure the health, safety and adequate supervision of all children at all times. The following guidelines are intended to help center-based Child Care and Head Start programs in developing and implementing their trip policies and Lost Child Protocol.


Child Care Strategic Plan and Head Start Annual Report

2009-2010 Annual Report for ACS's Head Start Program

The 2010 Annual Report for Administration for Children’s Services Head Start Program notes the accomplishments and work done by ACS and its Delegate Agencies throughout the NYC in serving our most vulnerable children and families.

PDF file format Click here to view report (in PDF format)

Community Needs Analysis

Children’s Services conducted a community needs analysis to examine the availability of public and private early care and education (ECE) services for all young children (ages 0-5 years) and families in New York City, but especially for children eligible for ACS’ subsidized services. This Summary Report, “Charting the Course for Child Care and Head Start: Community Needs Analysis of Early Care and Education in New York City,” highlights the main findings related to the provision of ECE services across the City, the boroughs, and individual neighborhoods.

PDF file format Community Needs Analysis Summary Report - Revised (in PDF format)

PDF file format Full Community Needs Assessment Report - August 2008 (in PDF format)

Rethinking Child Care

The Administration for Children’s Services puts forward its vision to reform New York City’s early child care system. This major initiative is called “Rethinking Child Care: An Integrated Plan for Early Childhood Development in New York City." Read Press Release and Exceutive Summary

Archives:

PDF file format  2001 Strategic Plan (in PDF format - 2.4 MB)

2009 Head Start Community Assessment

As mandated by federal Head Start Performance Standards, Children’s Services conducted a Head Start Community Assessment in 2009. The Assessment is a comprehensive report of the city-wide needs and services that impact the ACS Grantee Head Start program, its delegate agencies, families and children, as well as service capacity and access.  It addresses the challenges associated with providing comprehensive services to low-income families in a large city consisting of many diverse neighborhoods, and includes information on the strengths of these communities.

PDF file format  ACS 2009 Community Assessment (in PDF format - 42.1 MB)


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