As a mom who works outside the home, I know all too well the struggles that working parents face here in Queens and throughout New York state. I, too, have struggled to find affordable child care in my community. Child care has always been 20-30 percent of take-home pay, making it one of my family’s biggest expenses. My story is not an anomaly: Across New York state, thousands of families struggle to find and pay for quality child care.
With budget negotiations still underway, our lawmakers and Gov. Hochul have an opportunity to stand up for working families and child care educators and ensure that the necessary funds are allocated in this year’s budget. Right now, we need to invest at least $500M into the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), which so many New York families rely on to access child care. If we do not, thousands could lose access to child care within a matter of weeks.
