Learning Bridges to provide child care for students on days they're not in classroom

Both Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a new initiative to help ease the minds of parents as children get ready to go back to school.

News 12 Staff

Sep 8, 2020, 8:38 PM

Updated 1,497 days ago

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Both Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a new initiative to help ease the minds of parents as children get ready to go back to school. 
Learning Bridges will provide free child care for students in preschool through the eighth grade on the days they are not in the classroom. 
The goal is to give parents working from home the support they may need while dealing with the challenges of blended learning. 
"Parents have been stretched so thin trying to be teachers and breadwinners simultaneously, they need relief,” said de Blasio.
The program will have 30,000 seats come Sept. 21. The plan is to expand to 100,000 by December.
Gov. Cuomo is also hoping to relieve some parents’ anxiety when it comes to kids returning to school. 
The state created an online dashboard known as ‘The COVID-19 Report Card’ that will track coronavirus infections and testing at all schools. 
"The facts empower people, and the facts give people comfort,” said Cuomo. 
The city will prioritize enrollment into the Learning Bridges program by families who have the greatest need. 
The mayor says he hopes it will help lift some of the burdens many families are struggling with right now.