Advocates say New York's childcare program needs $1 billion more

ALBANY, N.Y (NEXSTAR) — On Wednesday afternoon at the Capitol, a bipartisan coalition convened for a press conference to ring the alarm about New York’s ongoing childcare crisis. They want at least $1 billion in extra funding to be incorporated into budget negotiations between Governor Kathy Hochul and the legislature.

The group explained that the current budget proposal doesn’t include enough money to support the Child Care Assistance Program, or CCAP. It helps low-income and temporary assistance families pay for child care so the parents can work and become self-sufficient.

For families who earn under 85% of New York State’s median income, CCAP gives vouchers that pay for supervision of children under 13, including after school. Here’s a breakdown of that formula, as figured by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services:

Families have to meet work or training requirements to use the vouchers. OCFS determines the values based on what most child care providers charge, and families pay a part of the cost.

When CCAP works, it saves families about $1,500 a month and lets them choose from licensed and registered childcare providers. But even eligible parents struggle to find providers because of the industry-wide staffing shortage. And those workers earn less than 96% of workers in other professions in New York, according to the Alliance for Quality Education.

CCAP runs through local social services districts and falls under OCFS, which sets the rules for income limits and provider payments. In New York City alone, between 4,000 and 7,000 families could lose child care support each month, and nearly 60,000 children could lose vouchers over the next fiscal year if funding stays flat, according to the Alliance for Quality Education.

But several counties outside New York City are already closing enrollment for CCAP. They’re winding down applications, enrollments, and recertifications in anticipation of a funding gap. Essex County started a waitlist on March 19, and Franklin County established one on March 26, according to state records. Hamilton, Fulton, Madison, Saratoga, Warren, and Washington Counties are allegedly no longer accepting new applications. And more closures are apparently planned in Allegany, Columbia, and Lewis Counties in the coming months.

As counties outside New York City close enrollment for CCAP vouchers, bipartisan legislators joined advocates from the Empire State Campaign for Child Care and Raising New York for the press conference. The coalition urged state budget negotiators to include $500 million for CCAP vouchers and another $500 million to pay the childcare labor force.

“Under current leadership, our state has made historic investments in child care that have improved access and affordability,” said Assemblymember Andrew Hevesi, who chairs the Assembly Committee on Children and Families. “We cannot allow that progress to be undone.”