Here's how NYC families can get free, quality childcare through a federal Head Start program

City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams is calling for more investment in early childhood education to stop New York City's exodus of working- and middle-class residents, who are leaving because they can’t pay for childcare.

During her State of the City address on Wednesday, Adams said more than 80% of families can’t afford full-time care for their kids. Her comments came the same day as a Siena College poll found that 48% more New Yorkers are spending more money every month on childcare than they were two years ago.

Childcare experts say that although many parents are starting to think about vacation and childcare plans for the summer, now is the best time to enroll their toddlers in Head Start, a decades-old federal program that has long offered relief for those squeezed out of market-rate prices.

To find out what you need to know to apply for Head Start, read our full explainer on Gothamist.com