By: Julian Shen-Berro, chalkbeat.org | Editorial credit: Steve Sanchez Photos / shutterstock.com

Mayor Eric Adams has appointed a new leader to oversee a City Hall office for early childhood education, filling the role more than a year after the former executive director departed.

Amber Cartwright, who previously worked as vice president of core services at Teaching Matters, will serve as the new executive director of the Mayor’s Office of Child Care and Early Childhood Education.

The announcement on Tuesday came weeks after Adams’ budget proposal sparked criticism for failing to renew millions of dollars in early childhood funding. The Adams administration has faced repeated pushback from City Council and advocates over its handling of the early childhood system.

“I am excited to continue supporting children, families, early educators, childcare providers, and the organizations dedicated to this critically important work,” Cartwright, who previously served in the Education Department’s Division of Early Childhood Education, said in a statement. “Together, I hope to cultivate a collaborative early childhood community focused on building a high-quality, accessible, and sustainable early childhood education system — one that gives every child a strong start and a brighter future.”

The City Hall office, which was created more than two years ago, sought to help coordinate strategy and planning between city agencies that touched early childhood education, officials said at the time.

But its top post has remained without a permanent successor since October 2023, when former Executive Director Michelle Field left the administration to work as the chief program officer for Harlem Children’s Zone, a nonprofit that combats poverty through early childhood, education, and other support programs. (Deputy Executive Director Tovah Gottesman took over as interim executive director after her departure, according to city officials.)

Cartwright will oversee a staff of four, reporting to Deputy Mayor Ana Almanzar, city officials said. Her office will work closely with the Education Department, Administration for Children’s Services, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Department of Social Services, and other city agencies, officials added.

In his preliminary budget earlier this year, Adams renewed city funding for several programs that were once propped up by federal COVID relief money, like the city’s popular Summer Rising program. But the mayor’s proposal did not include renewals for $112 million for 3-K, the city’s free preschool program for 3-year-olds, $55 million to ensure preschoolers with disabilities find spots in specialized programs, or $25 million for extended-day preschool seats.

Rebecca Bailin, executive director of New Yorkers United for Child Care, said she welcomed additional leadership for the city’s early childhood system, but added she remains skeptical of the Adams administration’s willingness to invest in child care.

“Ultimately, as does everything in the city, the success of this office and her role really depends on whether Mayor Adams is prioritizing childcare, and prioritizing pre-K, 3-K, and expansion,” she said. “If he doesn’t put the funding in, and if he makes it clear to his staff and his executives that this isn’t a priority for him, there’s not much they can do.”

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