Items filtered by date: November 2017

Thank you to all of you who educate and care for our children!

Last year we hosted our Early Education Hall of Heroes event virtually, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, we are so excited to come back together in-person to honor some of the world's greatest educators. The last couple of years have been challenging, especially for the early education field, and you deserve to be celebrated.

You may nominate yourself or be nominated by an employer, parent, board member, or a co-worker. If you are a former Joey Award winner, you may still be nominated. You may receive multiple nominations. A selection committee will choose the honorees, and approximately 10 professionals will be inducted this year.

The Early Education Hall of Heroes event will take place on Friday, September 30, 2022 from 7pm to 9pm. Join us for a night of celebration with awards, dinner, entertainment, giveaways, and more. So put September 30th on your calendar, and submit an online nomination form for your hero. They just might become a 2022 Early Education Hall of Heroes Inductee.

Nomination Form

We look forward to honoring a new slate of exceptional child care and after school professionals, highlighting the importance and impact of high quality programs.

For questions or more information, contact Juanita Pope at 914-761-3456 x106 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Check out our previous honorees below:

View the full 2019 event gallery here.

View the full 2021 event gallery here.

Help make child care more affordable by letting your parents know about...

Child Care Subsidy Through the Department of Social Services (DSS)

The eligibility income levels increased June 1st.

Working families making below:

• $50,352 for a family of 2
• $58,726 for a family of 3
• $62,437 for a family of 4

More Good News! These income levels are increasing again on August 1st.

Working families making below:

• $54,930 for a family of 2
• $69,090 for a family of 3
• $83,250 for a family of 4

Child Care Subsidy Applications can now be submitted via email to the Child Care Subsidy Unit at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

ONLY New or Re-certification Applications along with supporting documents are accepted.

Application for Child Care Subsidy

Spanish Application for Child Care Subsidy

Supporting Documents for Child Care Subsidy

There is also assistance for those families above the child care subsidy income levels...

Westchester Works Child Care Scholarship Application in English

Westchester Works Child Care Scholarship Application in Spanish

Westchester Works Child Care Scholarship Information Sheet

Awards and Payment Sheet

Need test kits for your staff? To send home to parents? Please contact Rosie Finizio, Director of Programs and Policy, Child Care and Education for Westchester County to request test kits.

Please email Rosie at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the following information:

• Name of your program
• Contact person name, email and phone
• # of children enrolled
• # of staff
• # of tests requested

If you're an existing program and are thinking about applying for the Child Care Deserts Grant, please join us on Wednesday, June 15th from 12:00pm to 1:00pm.

Zoom Link Here

We will answer questions about the Child Care Deserts application process, timeline and review some of the resources on the OCFS Child Care Deserts website. QualityStarsNY will also be joining us to discuss their role in the grant process.

It is not possible to put into words anything that will make the loss of life yesterday (in Texas) less painful, especially following the horrific shooting in Buffalo, NY.

We join with you in shock and sadness.

Let us take care of ourselves and one another, so that we can be there for our children.

To all our wonderful colleagues in Westchester's early care and education community, if you might be interested in a time to connect with one another, please email Susan Panarella, Infant Toddler Mental Health Consultant, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Child Care Deserts Grant RFA#2 Info Session

If you're an existing program and thinking about applying for the Child Care Deserts Grant, please join us on Wednesday, May 25th from 1:30pm to 2:30pm.

Get Zoom link HERE!

We will answer questions about the Child Care Deserts application process and timeline. We will also review some of the resources on the OCFS Child Care Deserts website.

Child care received more attention than ever before in this year's NYS budget. With the Empire State Campaign for Child Care calling for $5 billion to move New York toward a truly universal system of child care, how did child care fare in the enacted budget? Join us on Friday, May 20th at noon to find out. To register, CLICK HERE!

OCFS has just posted the Request For Applications (RFA) for $30 million in funding for child care programs that were licensed/registered/permitted BEFORE January 28, 2022.

This funding opportunity is to help existing programs expand their capacity and serve more children in areas of the state that are child care deserts - which includes Westchester County.

What you need to do right now:

(1) Visit the OCFS website and review the info on program eligibility and the RFA. Just CLICK HERE!

(2) Watch for our emails with more info about this grant and how we can help you apply.

Jessenia Tejada, Child Care Business Development Specialist

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

(Pictured from left to right: Congressman Mondaire Jones, Laura Rossi of the Westchester Community Foundation, Jason Barnett of RXR, Kathy Halas of the Child Care Council of Westchester, Craig Ruoff of Colliers International)

What's in a name?

We first developed "Dream Big" as a theme for one of our annual awards breakfasts - long before we transitioned to an evening celebration. At that time, we were thinking mostly of children - and how positive early learning experiences would allow them to dream - and achieve - big things. But we realize now the phrase represents so much more: the dreams of working mothers who want to build a career, of all parents who want better for their children. And, with your support, we at the Council have been able to dream bigger - about who and how many we can help, and the ripple effect in every direction, for so many years, when just one family gets the support they need. We raised more than $200,000 at Dream Big on April 7, and we are so very grateful for what these funds will make possible. THANK YOU.

View the full journal here.

View the gallery here.