Push for Child Care Funding Before One-House Budgets Lock In Send an email > Make a call > One-house budget proposals are expected early this week, which means the window to secure these investments is closing fast. Families and educators across New York are counting on leaders to include funding for the child care workforce before their proposals are finalized. Today is International Women's Day, a day rooted in collective organizing. This year, and always, paying child care educators a thriving wage is a gender justice issue. The people who keep child care programs running are overwhelmingly women, including many women of color, immigrant women, and older workers. Their labor makes it possible for parents to work and for families to stay afloat every day. Across New York, families are strained by crushing child care costs while educators are forced to leave the profession because wages are far too low. Programs cannot stay open without this essential workforce. A permanent child care workforce compensation fund would help turn that around by strengthening the workforce, keeping programs open, and making sure families have stable options for care. Families, use this call script. Share the post above! Providers, use this one. Take Action Use our phone script to contact your elected representatives and urge them to invest in the child care workforce so programs can stay open and families can access reliable care. Call State Legislators > Send a message in just three clicks to your local state representatives and legislative leaders calling for action to strengthen child care across New York. Email State Legislators > Even as many families struggle to afford child care, New York remains home to extraordinary wealth. Decisions being made right now will determine whether families can find care and whether educators can afford to remain in this work. They will also show whose voices are truly shaping state priorities, whether that's the poor and working majority or the billionaire class. Call and email your state legislators today. Tell them to tax the rich and invest in the child care workforce. New York can move closer to universal child care, but only if we raise our voices together and our leaders choose to listen with care. In solidarity, Marina and Zakiyah Co-Executive Directors Alliance for Quality Education AQENY.org   Facebook   Instagram    Bluesky Donate

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