Advocates for working families in New York say they want less talk and more action to improve child care in the state.
Gov. Kathy Hochul has proposed a child-care construction fund and a task force to address the issue – which advocates say will make a dent in the child-care shortage but doesn’t do enough.
Estimates show New Yorkers spend a grand total of $14 billion a year on child care, or about $22,000 per year, per child. High child-care costs also are cited as a major reason young families leave the state.
Rebecca Bailin, executive director of New Yorkers United for Childcare, said universal child care is possible if the state will fund plans to implement it.
“That child care would be free, easy to apply, nearby and accessible to all families,” she said. “There’s no reason, with a budget of $237 billion, she cannot start to implement universal public child care now.”
Bailin said a lack of political will has been the biggest hurdle for universal public child care, since 74% of New Yorkers say they want it. Feedback from some state lawmakers is positive, although enacting a universal plan could cost $12 billion a year – 6% of the state’s current budget.
A Cornell University poll found high child-care costs are one reason some people can’t join the workforce, while other reasons are lack of accessible child care that keeps people from working.
Bailin said a universal public system could counteract these economic harms.
“It’s a $10 to $13 return on investment for every dollar spent,” she said. “Making New York an affordable place for families will help to stop the exodus of families, make it possible for us to grow our workforce and our tax base.”
Although New York offers child-care programs, some families earn too much to qualify for them, or have issues with immigration status that keep parents from reaching out. Bailin said expanding New York’s Child Tax Credit and Working Families Tax Credit could help the system, as well as investing in the child-care workforce.
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