New York’s child care sector is broken. Let’s repair it.
For New York families, obtaining a child care provider has become an uphill battle. Parents are hit with soaring day care costs and limited options. When they do find a provider, they are often placed on long waitlists.
Nearly half of parents say their child care situation is unworkable. It is critical that we address this persistent problem. Balancing work and family life with child care should not be a luxury, and parents deserve solutions that will ease their minds and their wallets.
To put the challenges of access and affordability into perspective: New York has the sixth most expensive infant care in the nation, costing an average of $15,934 annually. Between January 2020 and July 2022, more than 3,500 providers closed their doors. Many have been able to reopen, but New York currently has 1,326 fewer childcare providers than before the pandemic.
To combat this issue, the Assembly minority conference recently introduced “A Blueprint for Child Care (ABC) Plan,” a proposal to make child care more affordable through new tax incentives for providers and families, expanded access to early childhood education and enhanced provider options. Our plan would save the average family more than $2,300 per year.
As we know, not every parent has a traditional nine-tofive workday, so our child care model includes nontraditional hours (A.9126). Expanding provider hours would give families more employment flexibility and provide their children with the best life possible.
Providers also face multiple challenges such as outdated facilities and dealing with unnecessary state-imposed timelines that disrupt daily operations. Our conference has proposed a child care facility improvement tax credit (A.9264) to help providers make needed enhancements and updates to keep their buildings up to code and provide our children with updated toys and learning tools.
Our conference is also calling on the federal government to help reduce child poverty. In
2021, child poverty reached a historic low of 5.2% thanks to the federal Enhanced Child Tax Credit from the American Rescue Plan. Unfortunately, that federal aid was only temporary, and in 2022, child poverty more than doubled. These numbers reflect a failure to provide support and opportunities for our most vulnerable New Yorkers. The ABC plan calls on the federal government to permanently reinstate the Enhanced Child Tax Credit.
We all ought to strive for the best possible care for our children. We must nurture the future and provide families with the safe, affordable and care-centered programs they deserve. With a state budget deadline looming, we need to find the means to make the ABC Plan a reality and give necessary support and relief to New York families.