Mayor Mamdani’s “Parent’s Night Out Scheme”

[orangejuiceinthekitchen]

AIBU to say we need something like this in the UK?

The premise is pretty simple - 500 families get 4 funded hours of evening childcare. Childcare centres will be paid by the city to look after kids aged 6-13 for four hours, the kids will be fed dinner and entertained.

The parents get four hours to do whatever they want - it’s obviously hoped they’ll go out to dinner and spend money in the local community.

If it’s a success, they’ll expand it to other age groups and more children.

AIBU to think this is exactly the type of thing that we need in this country?! It would do so much to stimulate the economy and also just be a boost to people.

The offer is available to people who have some kind of membership for the park facilities - think it was around $150 annually.

So presumably they will sell new memberships, which could have a positive knock-on effect of getting more kids into the parks, running around and being active.

Also the scheme is doing a great job of creating loads of awareness for free.

The park membership is free for kids. According to the official website I posted above.

A lot of British parents would probably rather have four hours of free holiday camp activity for children during the summer.

Oh you’re right, I missed that, apologies for misleading info

That's basically what it is, near enough, sort of. But it is in city parks, not a holiday camp.

During working hours, I meant, as that's when many British parents find childcare during the summer holidays is expensive and/or hard to come by.

Joe and Josephine Public, of course.

Particularly the white ones. He has some ‘ideas’ about taxing the predominantly white areas of NY at a higher rate.

Yup. As a Brit it seems odd to pay for park membership. But looking at the website, that membership buys fair amount.

Recreation Center Membership : NYC Parks (nycgovparks.org)

I have a 12 and 8 year old. Not old enough to be left on their own for 4 hours, but 45mins yes. If I need a night out I can call grandparents/uncles or even their great grandparents to have them for a few hours whilst we go out, but most of the time we go to restaurants my kids like anyway.

Fair point

If you look it up, it is about saving money.

"On May 12, 2026, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani put forward his executive budget proposal for fiscal year 2027, which achieved balance on the back of new revenue, state funding, and savings. Chief among the proposed savings was a restructuring of New York City’s pension payments, which would reduce City spending by $1.6 billion in fiscal year 2027 and similar amounts each subsequent year.
These savings would be achieved by smoothing out a bizarre feature of the city’s pension payment schedule instituted in 2010, which had required accelerating payments through to fiscal year 2032, at which point the payments would turn negative and the pension funds would return money to the City over a seven-year period. The $8.2 billion “contribution cliff” created by this structure was not reasonable fiscal policymaking. The proposed change unwinds this drop off by smoothing payments over an additional five years. It does not—and cannot—affect the pensions owed to City workers or impact the City’s ability to meet those commitments."

Explainer: The Proposed Restructuring of New York City Pension Payments - Fiscal Policy Institute

Bet working parents would like something like they have in Helsinki, where various playgrounds around the city are staffed and children can go there all day in the summer holidays all summer long and play and do organised activities and get a free hot lunch. All completely free.

I would love it if it were extended to parents of older DC with disabilities. My DS wants to come back and live with me but needs constant supervision while at home.

That sounds fantastic!

Yeah its pretty fantastic, almost makes me wish I lived in Helsinki, but I'm not a city person.

France has tax rebates for childcare (by that I mean 100% tax free), I'd much rather have that here than the crappy 20%/2k a year.

Not if you work in Education you can't, and an awful lot of us do!

I don't live in NY The post asked if the UK should do something similar. I said no.
I do not care what happens in NY.

I care deeply about Great Britain.

Do you use UK roads then, while you take nothing from tax ?

Pay for your own babysitters.

End.

So just to clarify, taxpayers would have to pay even more to fund more childcare as well as everything else? Hell no.

No. It's a trial of a free organised afternoon in the park for kids, at park facilities with park staff.

But if it were here, someone has to pay for DBS checked park staff to be taken on in order to facilitate this.

I take my helicopter everywhere.

I thought it was hoverboards libertarians used :-)