New York State Budget Is ‘Important Step’ For Child Care And More Is Needed From Harlem To The Hudson

In response to the passage of https://www.harlemworldmagazine.com/?s=New+YorkNew York’s FY22-23 budget, and the agreement to invest $7 billion in child care over four years, Steven Morales, NY Policy Director at All Our Kin, issued the following statement:

“Today lawmakers took an important step toward fixing New York’s broken child care system, and their commitment to increase state funding for child care comes not a moment too soon.

It is no exaggeration to say that child care providers and families in our state are in serious crisis. Seven billion dollars for child care over four years would be a strong start, and we appreciate that Albany has recognized the need for ongoing investment.

We encourage the state, in future budget cycles, to make good on its promise to fully allocate these resources.

“All Our Kin applauds the decision to extend child care subsidies to more working families and increase the rates that the state pays to providers this year.

While it remains unclear how many more families will benefit in the coming year, state leaders must build upon this investment to serve all children, including undocumented children, and compensate providers for the true cost of high-quality care.

“Home-based child care educators are essential to our economy and to families, yet year after year they have been forced to scrape by on razor-thin margins. In the last two years, the added financial strain of the pandemic has forced many family child care programs to shut their doors.

The child care stabilization grants in this budget will provide temporary relief to family child care educators, but further investment is necessary to fully and permanently stabilize the field.

“We appreciate the steps taken in this year’s budget and we look forward to working with state lawmakers to increase these investments and ensure that everyone in New York State has access to high-quality child care.”

All Our Kin is a national nonprofit organization that trains, supports, and sustains family child care educators.

Through All Our Kin’s programming, educators build sustainable child care businesses, parents have access to stable, high-quality child care, and children gain the educational foundation that lays the groundwork for success in school and life.