Chalkbeat's journalism is made possible by our sponsors.
Interested in becoming one? Reach out here.

Good morning, Mike here with Chalkbeat New York.

For more than a year, New York City’s childcare voucher waitlist has been growing, with no seeming end in sight. The backlog for the popular program hit 30,000 kids last month. But there’s some relief now coming, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced on Monday. The city in the coming days will issue vouchers to 10,000 families on the waitlist, thanks to $475 million in state matching funds that Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state legislature committed earlier this year. Today’s top story has more on who may stand to benefit, and what comes next for the voucher program.

Also today, Chalkbeat reporter Alex Zimmerman was on WNYC’s Brian Lehrer show to talk about where things stand with school desegregation in New York City in the wake of Nikole Hannah-Jones’s essay. You can listen to the segment here.

Need to reach the bureau? Email us at [email protected].

Local education coverage is disappearing. Chalkbeat helps families and educators understand what’s changing. We can’t do it without you.

Support Chalkbeat New York

Local News

Mamdani administration to enroll 10,000 NYC children from childcare voucher waitlist

The city will prioritize families with incomes below 300% of the federal poverty line, families experiencing homelessness, and families with children with disabilities.

Around Chalkbeat

Calls to increase evidence-based funding dominate Illinois education board hearing

The Illinois State Board of Education held a hearing to collect public feedback on what to fund in next year’s education budget. Many speakers called for increases to EBF.

Super PACs ramp up spending in Chicago’s school board elections

Four super PACs have spent millions of dollars so far — enough to lift state spending restrictions in more than half of the races.

Memphis schools takeover could begin once state takeover board is ready, judge says

A federal judge moved Monday to clear the way for the state-appointed oversight board to take control of Memphis-Shelby County Schools, possibly within days.

A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSORS

The case for multimodal learning in today's classroom

Every student brings to the classroom different background knowledge and learning needs. Modern research suggests that multimodal instruction — combining modalities and learning experiences to support access and understanding — can reduce learning barriers, especially for students with disabilities and language-learning needs.

Join us for a conversation focused on what the research shows about how students engage with, interpret, and communicate understanding across different formats and walk away with a practical framework for building multimodal instruction into everyday teaching.

Learn More and Register