City University of New York Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez visite
CUNY
City University of New York Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez visited BMCC CUNY Reconnect
(Press Release) City University of New York Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez visited a child development class at Borough of Manhattan Community College to highlight the university’s expanding early childhood education programs and promote the state’s tuition-free CUNY Reconnect initiative. The program, launched by Kathy Hochul, helps eligible adult learners enroll in community college programs tied to high-demand careers such as education, nursing, and technology. CUNY leaders say the effort will help strengthen New York’s early childhood workforce as the state and city pursue broader access to affordable child care under the leadership of Governor Hochul and Zohran Mamdani.
City University of New York Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez today visited a child development class at Borough of Manhattan Community College to showcase the University’s early childhood education program offerings. The class for aspiring teachers and day care workers qualifies for Governor Kathy Hochul’s CUNY Reconnect program, which provides free community college for eligible adult learners pursuing degrees in high-demand fields, including education. The University is working to expand its pipeline of early childhood education programs to help bolster New York’s workforce in this critical sector as Gov. Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani work toward an ambitious goal for affordable, universal child care statewide.
“I am proud our students are learning child development skills at BMCC as they prepare to pursue a wide range of careers serving children,” said CUNY Chancellor Matos Rodríguez. “CUNY is always ready to meet the needs of the city and state and help ensure that we have well-trained early childhood educators as Governor Hochul and Mayor Mamdani work to make free childcare a reality for two-year-olds in New York. We also want to remind any adult learners without a degree that they can start on this career path with a free CUNY community college education through the Governor’s CUNY Reconnect program.”
Chancellor Matos Rodríguez visited the Psychological Foundations of Early Development and Education class located in the college’s early childhood teaching lab. The lab mirrors an early childhood center so students can get hands-on practice with childhood education activities. The class is offered by the BMCC Teacher Education Department as part of the Child Care and Early Childhood Education associate degree program, which offers an infant and toddler track as well as a preschool and early elementary track.
“BMCC is a launch pad for the next generation of early‑childhood educators,” said BMCC President Anthony E. Munroe. “Today’s class shows exactly why BMCC’s teacher‑training programs are a cornerstone of New York’s future. Through the Governor’s CUNY Reconnect initiative, we are opening a tuition‑free pathway for adult learners — many of whom are parents themselves — to become the highly‑qualified early‑education professionals our city needs. I’m proud that BMCC is playing a major role, helping New York achieve Governor Hochul’s and Mayor Mamdani’s vision of universal, affordable child‑care by building a stronger, more diverse early‑childhood workforce.”
During the Chancellor’s visit, students learned about sensory development in children through four separate breakout activities that included making scent jars, Play-Doh, sensory boxes and fidgets.
Rosalinda Rodriguez is a 25-year-old returning student who is interested in working in the early childhood education field. She is also a parent and was curious to learn more about sensory development. “I’m a single mom and I feel like a teacher every day for my son. I really wanted to give myself better work opportunities and expand my knowledge,” she said.
Allison Carino, a first-year student at BMCC, was inspired to take the class by her nephew who has autism. “I wanted to learn about how to help children with disabilities; how to have patience. I’m learning how to see children in a different way,” said the 19-year-old.
CUNY Chancellor Matos Rodríguez Visits Early Childhood ‘CUNY Reconnect
CUNY
City University of New York Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez visited a child development class at Borough of Manhattan Community College to highlight the university’s expanding early childhood education programs and promote the state’s tuition-fre
CUNY Chancellor Matos Rodríguez Visits Early Childhood ‘CUNY Reconnect
CUNY
City University of New York Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez visited a child development class at Borough of Manhattan Community College to highlight the university’s expanding early childhood education programs and promote the state’s tuition-fre
Reconnecting New Yorkers
CUNY Reconnect has already helped nearly 6,000 New Yorkers between the ages of 25 and 55 who do not have a degree to enroll tuition-free at a CUNY community college since the program began last summer. In addition to teaching degree programs in areas experiencing shortages, eligible degree fields include advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, engineering, technology, nursing and allied health fields, and green energy. Some of these degrees can be completed online. As part of her FY2027 executive budget proposal, Governor Hochul plans to expand CUNY Reconnect to include career paths in emergency management, air traffic control and transportation, and to welcome adults obtaining a nursing degree even if they already completed a degree in a different discipline.
Prospective students who are interested in attending a CUNY community college through CUNY Reconnect can visit www.cuny.edu/reconnect to learn more.
Expanding Early Childhood Education
CUNY is also expanding programs like the one visited by the Chancellor as part of the University’s effort to support Governor Hochul’s and Mayor Mamdani’s ongoing efforts to deliver free child care for two-year-olds in New York City. The University already enrolls more than 3,600 early childhood education students in 50 programs across every degree level at 13 colleges. CUNY currently pays for the graduate application fees for early childhood education programs in bilingual education and special education to help meet the additional demand in those disciplines.
To strengthen New York’s early childhood workforce, the University operates the CUNY New York Early Childhood Professional Development Institute (CUNY PDI), a statewide public-private partnership. PDI operates 10 career development centers across the state that provide resources to support prospective early childhood teachers as they pursue a higher education and earn teaching credentials. The institute last year launched the NYC Early Childhood Apprenticeship Program with funding from the city’s Office of Talent and Workforce Development to provide pre-service job training and job matches to assistant teacher positions as apprentices earn a tuition-free Child Development Associate certificate from the CUNY School of Professional Studies.
Education represents CUNY’s largest area of graduate-level study and is among the largest academic program University-wide. In the 2022-23 academic year alone, one out of every 20 undergraduate degrees awarded by CUNY was in the education field. CUNY prepares more than one-third of all incoming New York City public school teachers and more than 40% of the teachers of color in New York State.
The University also plays a key role in the NYC Teaching Fellows program, an accelerated training initiative at New York City Public Schools that recruits recent college graduates to teach in high-need subject areas. This past year, CUNY placed 526 fellows in master’s degree programs across the University, more than triple the number of fellows enrolled at CUNY in the prior year. The University currently manages 55% of all fellow placements, with participants attending Brooklyn College, City College of New York, Hunter College and Lehman College.
CUNY also operates 17 campus-based child care centers across the five boroughs. The facilities primarily serve CUNY student-parents, who comprise approximately 20% of students, although approximately one-third of seats serve members of CUNY’s faculty and staff or parents in the communities neighboring the campuses. As part of the U.S. Congressional Fiscal Year 2026 Appropriations, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and U.S. Rep. Grace Meng allocated $3.1 million to Queensborough Community College to build the University’s 18th child care center.
Source: Announcement from City University of New York
