Items filtered by date: April 2024

Child Care Workforce Must Be Priority in NYS Budget

Thank you to Governor Hochul and the NYS Senate and Assembly for the great strides on child care last year. The Governor's new budget will make child care affordable for even more families!

But this year's NYS budget must do more for the child care workforce. Unless there is a permanent path to higher wages and better benefits for the child care workforce, the programs parents need will not be there.

We are calling for a direct investment in the child care workforce of $1.2bil which includes $1bil in a Child Care Workforce Compensation Fund and $190mil for a health insurance premium support program.

You can help by doing these 3 things:

1. Join us on Friday, Feb 17th for our virtual Mid-Hudson Briefing on Child Care at 12 noon. All the state senators and assembly members in the Mid-Hudson Region have been invited. Register Here! Just 30 mins of your time!
2. Send your support letter to Governor Hochul and your representatives in the Senate and Assembly. Click Here! Just 3 mins of your time!
3. Share this email with friends, family, co-workers, parents - everyone who cares about children and those who care for them.

Want more info? Check out these info sheets from the Empire State Child Care Campaign:

ESCCC Fund Child Care Workforce

ESCCC 2023 Policy Priorities

ESCCC Fund Immigrant Children

They Can't Speak Up for Themselves, But You Can Speak Up for Them!

NYS Child Care Advocacy Day

Sign up for the Empire State Campaign for Child Care Advocacy events in February. Sign up for 1,2, or all 3 events!

Owner
Blessed Beginnings Childcare, Inc.

REGISTER HERE

Search by training title or trainer name, Jessenia Tejada. Registration ends on January 10th, 2023

View the full newsletter here.

Westchester County Leads the Way in Child Care

In it's new 2023 budget, Westchester County cuts expensive child care bills by continuing the Westchester Works Child Care Scholarship and by reducing the parent share for child care assistance from 10% to 5% of income over the Federal Poverty Level.

Westchester County knows that access to safe, affordable child care is not only essential for individual families but also for our employers.

We extend our deepest gratitude to County Executive George Latimer and his team and the Westchester County Board of Legislators for making life easier and better for hard-working Westchester families.

The Child Care Council of Westchester continues to follow the CDC's COVID-19 prevention strategies. The current COVID-19 community level is high in Westchester County and so we are now requiring masks to be worn by our staff and all visitors to our office building. If you do not have a mask, one will be provided. Thank you for your cooperation and assistance.

El Child Care Council of Westchester continúa siguiendo las estrategias de prevención del COVID-19 de la CDC. En el condado de Westchester actualmente el nivel de COVID-19 es alto. Por lo que a hora exigimos que nuestro personal y todos los visitantes a nuestro edificio de oficinas usen mascaras. Si no tiene una máscara, se le proporcionará una. Gracias por su cooperación y asistencia.

Each year, the Child Care Council's Public Policy Committee drafts an agenda to determine the focus of advocacy efforts. The 2023 agenda, approved by the Board of Directors at our October meeting, sets an ambitious course.

"Children and families need your active support of the Child Care Council's 2023 Public Policy Agenda," said Camille Murphy, Chair of Public Policy Committee. "With your help, the USA will move into a leadership position for children in our nation, state and local communities - where it should be."