Child Care
Research shows that the first few years of life are a tremendous time of brain development — a time when child care is essential to nurture the foundation of a child’s learning potential.
Yet New York is facing a child care crisis that is the result of long-standing racial and economic inequities: families of color and from low-income backgrounds are often unable to access affordable care. Child care workers — predominantly women of color — are also still among the lowest-paid workers in the state.
Our Equity-Centered Approach
Alongside our Raising New York coalition partners, we seek to expand child care access and capacity. Our statewide, systemic approach supports the child care workforce by advocating for policies that increase compensation and advance career growth. The coalition identifies barriers to accessing high-quality, affordable, culturally responsive child care and offers policy solutions to meet families’ needs.
Latest Resource
Brief: The True Cost of High-Quality Child Care Model
This cost model, developed by Prenatal to Five Fiscal Strategies (P5FS) in partnership with EdTrust-New York and the Raising New York coalition, which exclusively tailored for New York State, projects that New York would need to invest roughly $20 billion into making high-quality child care available to all children from birth to five-years-old, with providers earning a living wage.
Featured Reports and Resources Over the Years
Statement: New York Fails to Seize Critical Opportunity for Child Care with Bill Vetoes
Poll: NYC Residents Overwhelmingly Support Investment in Early Childhood Programs
Poll: Business Leaders Face Economic Hardship Due to Lack of Employee Access to Child Care
Blog: The State of Child Care Compensation, and Where We Go From Here
Data Snapshot
%
of people in New York State live in a child care desert.
parents from low-income backgrounds report that their child does not attend a child care program due to costs.
More Resources
EdTrust-New York FY27 Executive Budget Request
EdTrust-New York’s 2026 policy agenda is premised on the belief that all children can succeed in school when provided with high-quality, culturally relevant instruction and support that is equity-driven, data-centered, and student-focused. To improve outcomes across the state, particularly for students of color and students from low-income backgrounds, EdTrust-New York advocates for an equitable system of education that helps schools meet the following milestones.
How New York Can Protect Children from Federal Attacks on Head Start and Early Education
The Trump administration’s actions threaten New York’s youngest learners by cutting Head Start funding, restricting access, and advancing anti-immigrant policies. Without action, these federal attacks could harm children and families for generations.
EdTrust-New York Applauds Passage of Child Care Wait List Bill, Calls for Action on Critical Unfinished Priorities
EdTrust-New York celebrates the passage of S.1926 (Persaud) /A.7145 (Walker) by the State Legislature and advancing it to the Governor’s desk for signature. The legislation requires every county social services office in New York State to create and maintain a wait list of families seeking child care assistance.
EdTrust–New York Condemns Final State Budget for Failing to Invest in Educational Equity Despite Urgent Student Needs
EdTrust–New York acknowledges some positive developments in the final budget, but we are deeply disappointed that state leaders failed to invest in key educational equity priorities, such as literacy. We are also concerned that changes to the Foundation Aid formula will reduce school funding for high-needs districts.
Event Recap: Moving New York Forward: A Look at EdTrust-New York’s Recent Impact
On April 3, EdTrust-New York’s executive director Arlen Benjamin-Gomez joined Lisette Nieves, president of the Fund for the City of New York, and Denise Forte, president and CEO of EdTrust national, to discuss EdTrust-New York’s recent impact report and how the organization can build on the momentum to act with urgency and speak truth to power in the coming years.
Parent Leaders Sound the Alarm on NYC’s Pending Child Care Assistance Crisis
State leaders are calling on parents to share how losing child care would impact their families. Personal stories are essential in helping them understand the harm that any interruption in care could cause. Parents whose children are not currently in child care can still weigh in on how funding cuts would undermine recent investments in child care access and educator wages.