Assemblyman Nader Sayegh
Op-Ed by Assemblyman Nader Sayegh
As the cost of living in New York State continues to rise, one issue remains front and center for working families across my district and state: the urgent need for affordable child care. Access to quality, affordable child care is not just a family issue – it’s an economic issue, a workforce issue, and ultimately, an issue of equality and opportunity. Without a robust, affordable child care system, parents are forced to make impossible choices between work and caring for their children. This not only stifles economic growth but also undermines the future potential of the next generation. New York must, and in recent years has, taken swift and bold action to address this crisis.
Currently, child care in New York State is unaffordable for far too many families. Too many parents, especially mothers, are being forced out of the workforce because they cannot afford child care, creating a vicious cycle that hinders both family financial stability and economic productivity. This is an unfortunate reality I hear about regularly from constituents. Hardworking parents who want to contribute to our economy, grow their careers, and provide for their families are being hamstrung by child care costs that eat up a significant portion of their earnings.
The COVID-19 pandemic further exposed the deep cracks in our child care system. During the heights of the pandemic, many essential workers, many of whom were women and individuals of color, struggled to find child care while keeping our economy and health systems running. A lack of affordable options is not just a problem for individual families – it’s a problem for our entire workforce. If parents cannot return to work due to child care challenges, our state as a whole is negatively affected.
New York has made real, substantive strides in addressing this crisis, but more must be done. This past state budget, I was proud to support efforts to expand access to child care assistance and increase funding for child care providers. We continued and enhanced initiatives to expand access to affordable child care, invested in New York State’s child care workforce, and supported working families as part of the historic $7 billion, four-year investment in child care services.
This includes more than doubling funding to $1.8 billion for the Child Care Assistance Program, which subsidizes the cost of child care for eligible families based on their income. $50 million in capital grants for the construction or expansion of child care centers. $50 million in business tax credits for workplace-based child care expansion. More than $100 million in funding for the new LEAPS after-school grant program.
Utilizing more than $280 million in underutilized federal pandemic funds allocated to the Workforce Retention Grant program, which will provide recruitment funding and bonus payments to nearly 14,000 child care providers statewide. All of this done in a state budget that did not include any new increases in State income or business taxes.
Ultimately, affordable child care is not a luxury – it’s a necessity. My colleagues in the State Government and I have taken concrete steps in helping to combat this crisis, and will continue delivering to benefit all New Yorkers in the future. If we are serious about building a stronger, more equitable future, we must invest in our child care system. That means continuing to provide funding, increasing accessibility, and ensuring that every family has the opportunity to access quality care for their children. This is not only an investment in our children, but also in our state’s economy and future.
