On Staten Island, WNYC To Host Community Conversation On Affordability Re Childcare From Perspective Of Parents, Childcare Providers, Policy Makers

We will update the article with answers to our questions regarding the topics for this conversation occurring next week on Wednesday evening.  

We asked: How are the topics determined?  Can people submit ideas for important topics to talk about?  Is there audience participation in choosing the questions (such as each table agrees on a question to submit, or people can submit suggestions when they register) or is the list of questions or topics set beforehand? 

To answer your questions:

• The five topics in this series (food, housing, childcare, transit and heath care) were determined by the WNYC and Gothamist newsroom, based on our reporting on affordability issues in the five boroughs. Rising costs in these areas are often covered, along with city initiatives that attempt to cut costs.
• I can’t share plans for future events and topics at this time, but we are committed to a continued, in-person presence across the region with similar events.
• If people have ideas for topics, they can be submitted to [email protected] or in-person at a meeting of our Community Advisory Board: https://nypublicradio.org/community-advisory-board/.
• The initial questions for these conversations are created by our reporters, but there will be an audience Q&A session at the end of the event. New for Staten Island – audience members will be able to text their stories and questions throughout the conversation to a number that will be provided on site.

Readers can learn more below about an upcoming community conversation event that WNYC will be hosting on Wednesday 9/30 at the Snug Harbor Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art. Doors will be at 6:30, with the conversation beginning at 7pm.

In Conversation: The Affordability Series is a city-wide community-focused series, with WNYC/Gothamist hosts and reporters talking about how New Yorkers are navigating some of the most challenging aspects of our current affordability crisis. Past events have talked about housing and food, and the Staten Island conversation will focus on childcare from the perspectives of parents, childcare providers and policy makers. This event will be hosted by Sean Carlson (WNYC’s All Things Considered) and will feature homelessness and poverty reporter Karen Yi, local parents, childcare providers, childcare advocates and city officials.

The event is free with advance registration and, additionally, we will have limited free childcare (ages 2-12) on site for the duration of the conversation. More information about this conversation and the series overall can be found here: https://wnyc.org/events/wnyc-in-conversation-the-affordability-series.

WNYC In Conversation: The Affordability Series

Join us for the third event in a five-part live community series focused on New York City’s affordability crisis. IN CONVERSATION: THE AFFORDABILITY SERIES brings New Yorkers together across lines of income, identity, and experience to explore how the affordability crisis impacts their lives—and where shared interests can lead to deeper understanding and solutions.

WNYC is traveling across the boroughs to hear directly from New Yorkers like you about how you’re navigating the affordability crisis. On Wednesday, September 30, we’ll be at the Snug Harbor Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art on Staten Island.

New York City’s childcare crisis has become one of the clearest examples of how the affordability crunch shapes everyday family life. This conversation will bring together families navigating the high cost of care, small providers trying to sustain their businesses, and policy makers, to explore how parents and providers experience the same system under strain and what solutions might help families stay and thrive in New York City.

WNYC is pleased to offer a limited number of spaces for free, on-site childcare for children ages 2–12, with experienced childcare staff from Snug Harbor. Lite fare will be served following the discussion. There will also be trivia and a chance to take home some WNYC swag! Doors open at 6:30 pm, and the event starts at 7 pm.

Tickets are free, but registration is required.

Banner Image: Previous community conversation. Image Credit – WNYC