A respite for the working parents
New law mandates expanded coverage in Saratoga County for poor households
Saratoga County parents who work night shifts and need to sleep during the day may soon be elig ible for child care subsidies.
Legislation approved last week will mandate Saratoga and nine other social ser vice districts, including New York City, offer low-income parents the funding, which is already available in the rest of the Capital Region. To qualify parents need to be below specific poverty thresholds, which var y by county, and their children must be younger than 6.
Sen. Diane Savino, a Staten Island Democrat who sponsored the bill, said that many parents working non-traditional hours struggle to find care for young children not enrolled in school full time.
“This legislation will ensure that they are able to receive child care assistance so that they are able to get rest and don’t have to go to work tired,” Savino said. “This step for ward is especially important for low-income families who might other wise have to choose between being rested for work or watching their child.”
Subsidies are already available for child care when parents are working.
Saratoga County Department of Social Ser vices Commissioner Tina Potter said the county ’s limited access has been based on a lack of demand and she doesn’t anticipate the mandate will have much effect in the county.
“We have not seen those requests come forth,” Potter said.
She added that it made sense for counties to determine the elig ibility requirements for child care subsidies, noting local governments understand the needs of their workforce. Counties were previously permitted, but not required by state law, to provide subsides for day time child care to parents working night shifts.
Eligible parents who work the night shift will not automatically receive subsidies, as available state funds don’t meet the need across New York. Those parents would “get in line with ever ybody else,” according to Susan Antos, of the Empire Justice Center.
If the mandate, which takes effect in April, isn’t accompanied with additional state funding, it ’s possible that parents in Saratoga County already receiving subsidies will lose them to newly eligible parents.
“It ’s kind of a zero-sum game with child care,” Antos said.
▶ David.lombardo@timesunion. com 518-454-5427 @poozer87
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