Report: Edwin J. Viera, New York News Connection
New York families are still dealing with child care barriers despite improvements.
A new report found more than half the state is a child care desert with parents having to leave the workforce because they cannot access it.
While the Child Care Assistance Program has improved, it does not make up for other shortcomings.
Lara Kyriakou, associate director of early childhood policy and advocacy for Ed Trust-New York and the report’s co-author, said one of the biggest barriers is lacking knowledge about available child care programs.
“Many families reported difficulties just learning about available programs including navigating application processes,” Kyriakou observed. “A lot of families spoke about learning of programs from other parents or other key trusted relationships that they had in the community.”
Other issues include restrictions due to a person’s immigration status, or benefits cliffs where a family earns a little too much to qualify for programs. Some recommendations to fix the situation include further expanding New York’s child tax credit and working families tax credit and investing in the child care workforce to hire new and retain existing workers.
Reports showed the state’s child care industry workforce fell 32% from 2019 to 2023.
Enacting such changes could help New York State reach its goal of cutting child poverty in half by 2032. The report calls for a $1.2 billion sustaining investment in the child care industry.
Jenn O’Connor, director of partnerships and early childhood policy for Ed Trust-New York, said making it a sustaining investment would give child care workers a salary matching the cost of living.
“Child care providers who are predominantly women and predominantly women of color make less than your pizza delivery guy half the time,” O’Connor emphasized. “They’re providing an essential service and they’re educating our youngest children.”
The newly announced Invest in Our New York Act could pay for this. The package of bills would have corporations and New York’s ultra-wealthy residents pay their fair share of taxes and the money would then be spent on child care, education and affordable housing.
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