First of all I am a POC and nothing I said was racist. I was stating real world behaviors. Culturally POC mothers do not send children to govt schools until they have to for 1) safety reasons - a 3yo is still having an adult wipe them 2) because there is pressure from extended family to not over-Americanize and or under-culturalize your child. Aka the “remember we are not like them” conversation.

My second point regarding benefits Is 100% facts, if you already are hearing if from family “don’t take the baby to daycare with strangers” and the local govt provides SNAP, WIC, Health/Dental until the child is school age (5+) where is the incentive to use this program????

You would actually be doing harm to your community because a local Aunty/Grandma could watch your child under the guise of your own cultural standards(this is the socialization part) in exchange for cash or SNAP.

This literally happens every day in this city. You and the writers of the article, and all the commentators calling what I said racism; are out of touch with the reality of human behavior and motivations. Particularly, those pertaining to POC and the poverty stricken.

I never said anything about white folks because it’s not a issue of skin color. It’s cultural/ethnic morality that is on display in this problem. I wasn’t trying to single white ppl out but yes the middle and upper class whites of NYC face much less barriers to placing their children into these school programs at earlier ages because 1) the nuclear family is all that matters to them ‘culturally’ 2) they are more likely to be highly educated and working full time 3) they are not receiving govt benefits that incentivize staying home with their child beyond the ages of 1-2.

I wasn’t demonizing welfare but yes it’s true the current setup is unfair to lower middle and working class families. There should be universal parental benefits. I personally believe income eligibility should not be apart of SNAP at all.