NEW YORK — In recent years, New York State has made historic investments to expand child care eligibility for middle-class families, yet thousands of families still cannot access these programs. The system remains inequitable, primarily because it lacks a focus on affordability and accessibility for lower-income families.
This month, the Governor signed legislation into law allowing counties to provide presumptive eligibility for child care subsidies, which will dramatically reduce bureaucratic hurdles that have long hindered access to essential services. Unfortunately, the State will not mandate counties to implement this policy. Still, we remain optimistic that many counties will recognize the benefits of presumptive eligibility and provide child care subsidies to families sooner, enabling parents to work and children to receive early education.
This past week, while Governor Hochul toured New York to discuss affordability, she vetoed two bills that could have made child care more accessible for our most vulnerable families. A.1303A/S4924A, which would have removed the minimum earnings requirement for subsidies, could have significantly improved the economic standing of predominantly Black and Brown families. In her veto message, the Governor indicated that the Legislature might address the bill during the budget process. We hope this happens.
The Governor once again vetoed bill A.8878A/S.8152A, which aimed to decouple child care assistance from parents’ work hours. This bill took a crucial step toward equity by ensuring all families, whether they are private pay or receive subsidies, receive the same level of support. In her veto message, the Governor raised fiscal concerns. We hope to work with her to address these concerns during this year’s budget process.
For media inquiries, please contact Elizabeth Chmurak at [email protected].
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About EdTrust-New York: EdTrust-New York works to eliminate the gaps in equity and opportunity achievement that hold back too many students from reaching their full potential, especially those who are from low-income backgrounds or students of color, in order to enable all students in New York State to achieve at high levels — from early childhood through college. Learn more at EdTrustNY.org.