Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the recently enacted New York State FY 2022 Budget includes an historic $5 billion investment in child care through both state and federally funded initiatives.
The budget fulfills a substantial number of the recommendations issued in Governor Cuomo's Child Care Availability Task Force report. Governor Cuomo created the Child Care Availability Task Force to bring private and public stakeholders together to examine innovative approaches to affordability and access to child care.
The Governor has also begun implementation of another Task Force recommendation by directing OCFS and the New York State Council on Children and Families to examine federal and state statutes and regulations to identify opportunities for reform and streamlining, including eliminating redundant background checks that increase administrative burdens and costs for child care providers.
Over the last decade, Governor Cuomo has been relentlessly committed toimproving child care access and supporting families with child care-aged children. Each year since 2011, New York committed approximately $800 million to help low-income New Yorkers access high-quality care. Including child-focused tax credits and pre-kindergarten programs, support for families with child care-aged children totals nearly $2.8 billion, an increase of more than $500 million since FY 2011.
In addition to this annual support in the state budget, the federal government is providing $2.3 billion in stimulus funds ($469 million from the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 and $1.8 billion from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021).
This includes:
$1.25 billion for stabilization grants to keep child care providers open
$225 million to expand access and subsidy eligibility to 200% of the federal poverty level
$25 million to provide child care scholarships for essential workers
$291 million to support 12-month cycles for child care subsidy eligibility determinations
$50 million to support facilitated enrollment for child care programs
$192 million to limit family subsidy copays to no more than 10 percent of their income above the federal poverty level
$120 million to provide child care subsidy payments for up to 24 absences per year
$100 million to increase and expand child care capacity in child care "deserts"
$40 million for cleaning, personal protective equipment and other supplies for child care providers
$39 million to support the Quality Stars NY program and to make technology improvements in child care system. ■