Childcare in the City: What NYC Open Data Tells Us About Family Policy

Childcare in the City is a free, student-led Open Data Week event exploring how NYC Open Data can power public storytelling and policy communication. Undergraduate students from Barnard College analyzed data from the NYC Work and Family Leave Survey and translated their findings into a short podcast featuring expert guests Dr. Meredith Slopen (Stony Brook University School of Social Welfare) and Dr. Jane Waldfogel (Compton Foundation Centennial Professor for the Prevention of Children’s and Youth Problems at Columbia University School of Social Work).

The event opens with a live listening of the student-produced podcast, followed by a moderated talkback with the graduate student mentors, student creators and expert guests. Together, they discuss their findings, the role of open data in civic life, and what the numbers reveal about childcare and family wellbeing in New York City—a timely topic given ongoing mayoral and gubernatorial conversations around universal childcare.

This 90-minute, in-person and virtual event is held on the Barnard College campus and is open to students, educators, researchers, and anyone interested in open data, storytelling, and family policy. Register here.