• Training Calendar
  • Careers
  • Job Board
  • Donate
  • Families
    • Find a Center
    • Child Care Assistance
    • What to Look for in a Program / Provider
      • Quality Indicators
      • Child Care Options
      • Subsidized Child Care
      • Market Rates
      • Staff Qualifications
    • Que Busco
    • Additional Family Resources
      • Food Stamp Eligibility
      • Consumer Education for Parents
      • Parent Education and Awareness
      • Training for Parents
      • NYC Immigrant Law Resources
  • Educators
    • Family Child Care Providers
    • Center Based Child Care
    • Resources for Early Childhood Professionals in the Covid-19 Crisis
  • Community
  • Member Services
    • Member Agencies
    • Member Benefits
    • Labor Relations & Mediation Service
    • Student Debt Counseling
    • Early Childhood Career Ladder
    • Holiday Calendar
  • Our Work
    • Services
    • Publications
    • Census
    • DCCNY in Articles and Media
    • Public Policy and Advocacy
      • Public Testimonies
      • Coalition Work
      • Contact a Policy Maker
      • DCCNY in the News
  • About Us
    • Contact
    • Letter to Friends
  • Events
    • Events for Children and Families
icon/search Created with Sketch.
  • Families
    • Find a Center
    • Child Care Assistance
    • What to Look for in a Program / Provider
      • Quality Indicators
      • Child Care Options
      • Subsidized Child Care
      • Market Rates
      • Staff Qualifications
    • Que Busco
    • Additional Family Resources
      • Food Stamp Eligibility
      • Consumer Education for Parents
      • Parent Education and Awareness
      • Training for Parents
      • NYC Immigrant Law Resources
  • Educators
    • Family Child Care Providers
    • Center Based Child Care
    • Resources for Early Childhood Professionals in the Covid-19 Crisis
  • Community
  • Member Services
    • Member Agencies
    • Member Benefits
    • Labor Relations & Mediation Service
    • Student Debt Counseling
    • Early Childhood Career Ladder
    • Holiday Calendar
  • Our Work
    • Services
    • Publications
    • Census
    • DCCNY in Articles and Media
    • Public Policy and Advocacy
      • Public Testimonies
      • Coalition Work
      • Contact a Policy Maker
      • DCCNY in the News
  • About Us
    • Contact
    • Letter to Friends
  • Events
    • Events for Children and Families

About the Day Care Council of New York

The Day Care Council of New York, Inc., is a membership organization of over 120 agencies that operate more than 250 publicly and privately-funded child care centers and family child care programs in New York City.

Mission Statement

The Day Care Council of New York is a diverse membership organization of child care and family service providers, consumers and advocates.

The Council’s mission is to seek support for and assist in the development of quality child and family care services.

The organization works with its members to maintain high standards of child developmental, educational and social services.

The Council is committed to programs and services which are designed to promote the sound growth and development of children and their families necessary for a healthy society.

Re-adopted by the Board September 2012

Our History

1948

The First Board

These sponsoring boards first banded together in 1948, to fight for the survival of their programs when child care funds were eliminated at the end of World War II.  At that time, New York City had 80 centers serving children of working parents. 

1948

Tax Allocation for Child Care

Obtained the first peace-time allocation of City tax money for child care programs.

1952

Becoming the Council

With persistent effort and the support of New York City, the Day Care Council was incorporated in August 1952 as the coordinating body for the sponsoring boards.  Since then, the Council’s membership has grown to include over 200 sponsoring boards serving more than 50,000 children in the five boroughs of New York City.

1962

Child Care in Public Housing

Obtained the first commitment to provide child care space in every low-income public housing development.

1962

National Organization

Helped develop the first national organization of child care advocates.  This became the Day Care and Child Development Council of America, formerly National Committee for the Day Care of Children.

1964

Created the first program-wide staff pension plan for all personnel employed in New York City child care centers

1969

Developed and implemented the first credit-bearing training program designed to upgrade the skills and careers of child care personnel

1970

Developed in cooperation with the child care union, District Council 1707, the first comprehensive health and welfare program for child care personnel

1973

Helped develop the first state-wide association of child care and child development councils established in the nation;  This became the New York State Child Care Coordinating Council.

1976

Implemented a CETA (Comprehensive Employment and Training Act) contract that provided social work counseling services to families at member child care centers

1977

Created a mediation program to address grievances filed by the union against child care employers

1982

Developed a comprehensive health and welfare program for the child care directors, in cooperation with the Council of Supervisors and Administrators

1983

Created a remedial training for bookkeepers who failed the Agency for Child Development (ACD) competency test

1984

Held a conference for employers to acquaint business leaders with the value of providing child care as a benefit for their employees

1985

Trained 1,500 support staff of ACD child care centers in Child Abuse and Maltreatment Prevention

1989

Awarded  the first state-funded Child Care Resource and Referral contracts.

Read More

Executive Team

Tara N. Gardner
Executive Director
Erika Ewing
General Counsel & Chief Administrative Officer
Gregory Brender
Chief Policy & Innovation Officer
Mary Gamory
Chief Program Officer

Program Staff

Office Support

Risa Bernstein

Office Manager & HR Generalist

Joshua Stoby

Program Support Specialist

Sandra Vasquez

Office Cleaner

Fiscal Team

Ada Chen

Finance Associate

Aida Almonte

Grants Accountant

Child Care Resource Center

Sofia Lopez

Director of Early Childhood Services

Delma Burgos

Child Care Business and Training Specialist

Rebeca Felipe

CCRC Engagement Coordinator

Gabriela Gutierrez

Early Childhood Mental Health Manager

Joy Jensen

Provider Support and Training Specialist

Jessica Laureano

Child Care Resource Counselor

Ingrith Marin

Child Care Resource Counselor

Almarie McCoy

Provider Support and Training Specialist

Lisa Plaskett

Early Childhood Specialist

Vanessa Torres

Early Childhood Specialist

Member Support Services

Raffi Salbashian

Senior Counsel & Deputy Director, LRAS

Osberto Gomez

Education Debt Counselor

Shelby Lohr

Senior Policy Analyst

Gisselle Terrero

Member Services Coordinator

James C. Hall, Jr. Family Child Care Network

Keishla Hornsby

Director of FCC Network

Asmaa Fajri

FCC Senior Education Specialist

Eunjoo Geem

FCC Education Specialist

Cyissha James

FCC Education Specialist

Karen McCray

Asst. FCC Coordinator - J.C. Hall

Sharon McLaughlin

Administrative Assistant

Ana Santiago

FCC Family Worker Supervisor

Zenya Stewart

Asst. FCC Coordinator - J.C. Hall

Consultants

Carey Solomon

Fiscal Consultant

Mary Oyedijo

Health Care Consultant

Stacey White

Health Care Consultant

Board of Directors

Alice B. Owens

Board President

Betty C. Jones

Vice President

Jean E. Jeremie

Treasurer

Pauline D. Chen

Secretary

Members

Takiema Bunche-Smith

Member

Pamela Haas

Member

Hugh Hamilton

Member

Lorenzo Newby

Member

Nilesh Patel

Member

Walter Reyes

Member

Walsy K. Sáez Aguirre

Member

Tara N. Gardner

Executive Director

Elinor Guggenheimer

Founder

Publications & Financials

2024 Annual Report
DOWNLOAD Archives
icon_sun Created with Sketch.
Resources
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Archive
Connect
  • Contact
  • Donate
Social Media
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram

Copyright 2025 Day Care Council of New York. All Rights Reserved. Made with by V+V.