NY's leaders must act NOW so families don't lose child care assistance

Thousands of families stand to lose access to child care assistance

Hi Ashley, Without additional funding for the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP also known as child care vouchers) in this year's state budget, thousands of families stand to lose access to child care assistance, and 60,000 children could lose care. Send an email to Governor Hochul and leaders and your representatives in the State Legislature now! Tell them New York's families are counting on them to include AT LEAST $500 million for CCAP (though this won't cover the shortfall in its entirety) and $500 million for the workforce retention grant in the enacted budget. As early as April, we're hearing that 7,000 to 10,000 families could start to find themselves denied continued child care support every month — not to mention the thousands of new applicants who would be turned away. While the need is most pressing in New York City, this issue will impact every county in the state at some point over the next year, with four counties outside of NYC already having closed enrollment. Over the past few years New York has been successful in opening up child care assistance to more families, especially in low-income areas — but the state has failed to match that commitment to expanding coverage with the needed investment. Now, it risks leaving thousands of families who have come to depend on CCAP in need with no support at all. Without action by the Governor and State Legislature, families are going to be forced to make impossible choices: if they can't come up with an extra $1,500 or more per month to cover the cost of care, they will need to find alternative arrangements to continue working, or stop working altogether. To add to the damage, the loss of assistance for families means that child care providers will be left scrambling to fill seats vacated by long-time families forced to withdraw. Meanwhile, the Executive Budget allocates no funding for the child care workforce — the first time since the pandemic. The state's lack of workforce investment has already led to higher turnover rates, reduced capacity, and classroom disruptions. We need at least $500 million in additional funding for CCAP to prevent thousands of families — beginning in NYC — from being kicked off child care assistance, and $500 million to invest in the child care workforce. Without urgent action, New York's child care system will face severe consequences, leaving families without options and providers in financial distress. Send an email to Governor Hochul and leaders and your representatives in the State Legislature now and tell them the enacted budget must include at least $500 million for CCAP and $500 million for the workforce retention grant to address the immediate need. In solidarity, Zakiyah Shaakir-Ansari and Marina Marcou-O'Malley Sent via ActionNetwork.org. To update your email address, change your name or address, or to stop receiving emails from Alliance for Quality Education, please click here.