If your kid is turning 3 this year, free universal pre-k 3 has already started in several districts, including Harlem:
http://schools.nyc.gov/ChoicesEnrollment/3k-for-all/default.htmNow is the time to apply. Unfortunately, this isn't available in our outer-borough neighborhood. We currently pay $15k a year, which is below market rate, for our son to go to a neighborhood home daycare full-time. We lucked out: our daycare lady has a daily helper for 7 infants and younger toddlers, and she's become like grandma to him. We're also looking at 3-year-old programs, since I think DS is outgrowing his current setting, and I think we're just going to pony up the $30k it costs for nursery school in our neighborhood to bridge him to universal pre-k 4.
If you're looking for home daycare, you can search:
https://ocfs.ny.gov/main/childcare/looking.aspWe visited a number of places, and, at one, there appeared to be 2 adults overseeing 15 toddlers napping on the floor of a small apartment. They slept under some precarious-looking shelves and an enormous not very well-stabilized aquarium. During the time we were there, something fell off one of the shelves, hit a toddler in the head, and he started crying. So the settings vary a lot. I would ask friends, neighbors, and everyone in your network for recommendations. The place we eventually went with was recommended by a neighbor.
Another option is a nanny share. Your child can split a nanny with another toddler and each pay around $20k. If you're truly low income, which I'm guessing you're not if you're at all considering 36K nursery schools, ACS has free childcare programs for up to 10 hours a day for parents who qualify for public assistance.