Universal 2s? I’m All for It…But Has Anyone Met a Two-Year-Old?

As someone who has spent more than twenty years in early childhood education, I should probably start by saying this: I love toddlers. Really, I do. They’re hilarious, brutally honest, surprisingly smart, and capable of giving you the best hug of your life… right after they dramatically protest because someone touched their favorite toy.

So when I hear New York City talking about Universal 2s, my first reaction is, “What a wonderful idea.” My second reaction? “…Who’s volunteering to run it?”

Don’t get me wrong. I absolutely believe every child deserves access to quality early childhood education, and every family deserves affordable childcare. If you’ve ever watched a two-year-old go from speaking in one-word sentences to suddenly explaining why the moon followed them home, you know these years are magical. But they’re also wonderfully chaotic.

Somewhere between Universal Pre-K, 3-K, and now Universal 2s, I feel like we’ve forgotten one tiny detail: somebody actually has to teach these little people. And trust me… they’re not little preschoolers. They’re tiny CEOs who believe they run the building.

One minute they’re hugging you because you’re their favorite teacher. The next minute they’re screaming because you peeled their banana the wrong way. Five minutes later they’re crying because… honestly… nobody knows why they’re crying anymore, including them. And somehow we’re expected to figure it out. That’s the job.

Now imagine trying to hire enough qualified teachers to do that every single day. Here’s the reality administrators live with: we’re already struggling to find and keep great early childhood educators. Community-based schools lose incredible teachers to higher-paying DOE jobs all the time. Can you blame them?

Teachers have rent, student loans, families, and a grocery bill that somehow costs twice as much as it did a few years ago. As much as we’d like to believe otherwise, love for children isn’t accepted as payment by Con Edison.

Then there’s the money. Whenever people hear “free childcare,” they assume schools are getting everything they need. I wish. Running a classroom for two-year-olds isn’t just expensive- it deserves to be. These little humans need smaller class sizes, more teachers, more cleaning supplies, more training, more diapers, more snacks, more patience, and somehow… even more paper towels than should be scientifically possible. I’ve never met a toddler who spilled only one thing.

Administrators know exactly what those costs look like because we’re the ones trying to make the budget work while simultaneously ordering more wipes… again.

And then comes the space issue. People talk about opening more classrooms as if every preschool has a secret wing hidden behind the art room. Spoiler alert: we don’t. Many schools are already using every available inch of space. Expanding means renovations, licensing, inspections, playground requirements, furniture, equipment- and enough tiny chairs to make your back hurt just looking at them.

Despite all of that, I’m still rooting for Universal 2s. Because when it’s done right, it can change lives. Children receive support earlier, developmental delays are identified sooner, parents get back to work, and families breathe a little easier. Those are incredible outcomes.

But here’s what I hope policymakers understand: early childhood education isn’t held together by lesson plans. It’s held together by teachers. By the teacher who sings “Baby Shark” for the 900th time because it calms the room. By the assistant who somehow knows exactly whose stuffed animal belongs to whom. By the director who spends the morning covering classrooms because someone called out sick and spends the afternoon trying to figure out how to stretch a budget that stopped stretching months ago.

Those people are the program.

If New York wants Universal 2s to succeed, we can’t just keep announcing exciting new initiatives. We have to invest in the educators who are expected to make them work. Pay them fairly. Support community-based schools. Fund programs on time.

And maybe- just maybe- before rolling out another expansion, spend one full day in a room with twelve two-year-olds who all suddenly decide they only want the exact same pink crayon… and there is, of course, only one pink crayon.

After twenty years in this profession, I’ve learned one thing for certain: teaching two-year-olds isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s for the patient, the creative, the slightly sleep-deprived, and the people who somehow manage to negotiate world peace over a pink crayon.

Those educators deserve more than applause. They deserve a system that’s just as committed to them as they are to New York’s youngest learners.

Universal 2s? I’m All for It…But Has Anyone Met a Two-Year-Old?

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