What is NYC doing to keep day cares safe as Mayor Mamdani works to expand universal child care?
From child abuse allegations to health hazards, a series of CBS News New York investigations have raised serious questions about safety at a Bright Horizons in Manhattan.
That center at Columbus Circle is now closed, but what is the city doing to keep other day cares safe, and how will safety play into the mayor's plans for universal child care across the city?
Day cares must post inspection performance summaries
From paperwork to pests, from the plaster to the power sockets, city Health Department Inspector Ashantii Bernateau keeps her eyes peeled for hazards or violations any time she inspects day cares.
Now, those day cares are required to publicly post their child care performance summaries, which are recaps of any inspections from the last year.
"It informs parents, visitors, how the program has done on previous inspections," Bernateau said.
"That is key information at a glance that parents and caregivers can use to learn how many children are authorized to be on site at any one time, what are the ages of the children able to be in that child care program, and a quick lookback: what was their inspection history like last year?" Deputy Commissioner for Environmental Health Corinne Schiff said.
Those summaries also include a QR code which takes parents to a website with more information about the day care.
The city said it updated the summary sheets and revived the de Blasio-era requirement this spring because it was paused during COVID.
Parents hope that and other new initiatives can create real change and accountability.
Last year, for example, the mom of a child at Bright Horizons at Columbus Circle said she learned of a health code violation not from a performance summary, but from a CBS News New York Investigation. That violation was for an employee putting a cleaning solution with bleach in a water pitcher, which was then served to kids. Bright Horizons said that was an accident.
"Had it not been for you, I would've never known. Like, this was never communicated to us at all in any way, and it's just really bad practice," the mom said.
Universal child care expansion
The revived requirement for day cares comes as Mayor Zohran Mamdani works to expand free child care across the city.
"We are so excited to be a part of the mayor's expansion to universal child care, and I think it has been made very clear that meeting these high health and safety standards will be a key part of that program," Schiff said.
Mamdani revealed the city's enforcement plans earlier this year in response to the bleach incident and child abuse allegations at that same Bright Horizons location.
"The health department is also holding Bright Horizons accountable and seeking a revocation of Bright Horizons' permits to operate a child care center of any kind at ... Columbus Circle," Mamdani said in February.
Weeks later, the city announced that Bright Horizons surrendered its permits for the Columbus Circle center and agreed in a settlement to not open any new centers in New York City for 10 months.
The company said it's encouraged by the settlement, is committed to transparency, and had already taken corrective actions, including appointing a new leader of New York operations. A Bright Horizons spokesperson also said Bright Horizons is now installing security cameras in all classrooms.
"If it's really a serious, serious condition, where we think that that program isn't operating safely, we will require that program to close, and we'll work with that provider to make those corrections," Schiff said.
The health department encourages people to check out any day cares they're thinking of enrolling in at the NYC Child Care Connect website, which does include inspection histories.
