NYC Comptroller’s Office Registers More than 1,100 Early Childhood Education Contracts in Record Time Amid Surge in Submissions

NYC Comptroller's Office Registers More than 1,100 Early Childhood Education Contracts in Record Time Amid Surge in Submissions

New York, NY - New York City Comptroller Mark Levine today announced that his office has registered more than 1,100 of the early childhood education contracts in record time. These contracts, all received after July 1, help ensure that hundreds of providers receive timely payments for the delivery of vital services to families across the five boroughs.

Even though the Department of Education had been unable to submit the vast majority of these contracts before the start of the school year, the Comptroller's Office swiftly processed these contracts once submitted, registering them in an average of just five days to prevent further payment delays, which is 25 days faster than the 30-day period authorized under the City Charter. As of the end of October, the office had registered 1,144 of the 1,191 submitted contracts, expediting the process so that critical funding can reach 2-K, 3-K and pre-K providers that serve thousands of New York City children and families.

The achievement came amid an extraordinary surge in contract submissions during September, following what was already a record-setting busy period for the Comptroller's Office. That month alone, the office processed 2,023 contracts across City agencies, a 62% increase over the 1,246 contracts processed during the same month last year. To manage the volume, staff worked evenings and weekends, coordinating across teams to expedite reviews while maintaining the City's required oversight and accountability standards.

"Small providers who already operate with little financial cushion were forced to start the year under immense strain due to the logjam in getting their contracts processed," said City Comptroller Mark Levine. "I'm incredibly proud of my Office's work to register these contracts at a heroic pace to ensure these providers were paid for their critical services. As we continue to work with the administration to expedite outstanding contracts, I look forward to discussing measures to solve the problem that occurred here and ensure a more consistent submission schedule ahead of the start of the fiscal year."

Eighty percent of childhood education contracts received this fiscal year were submitted to the Comptroller's office after August 28. The compressed timeline placed additional demands on the registration process when providers were preparing to welcome children and families for the new school year.

The Comptroller's office anticipates approximately 1,550 early childhood education contract actions in FY27. With a number of additional submissions still outstanding, the Comptroller's Office expects the registration workload to continue into the coming weeks and to be completed before the end of the calendar year.

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