Thank You
Thank you for Dreaming Big with us!
We hope you had fun last night! It was an immense pleasure to celebrate with you, to be with so many people who believe in the power of child care to change lives, and to honor the "Transformative Impact" our County Executive and Board of Legislators have had for children and families in Westchester.
Stay tuned for regular updates about all your support makes possible in the coming months and year.
There's still time to donate if you're not into QR codes or were too busy having fun last night!
And, there are many exciting items from our silent auction still available, including vacation packages, wine bundles and memorabilia. Bidding is open until May 18th.
Thank you to Tara Rosenblum, our passionate volunteer emcee, and our sponsors:
NYS Budget Moves Child Care Ahead
NYS Budget Brings Good News on Child Care
Advocacy works. We made real progress for parents, child care/after school programs and employers in this budget. Much more to be done to address the staffing crisis in child care.
For families
- Income eligibility for child care assistance rises to 85% State Median Income (SMI) (or $93,258 for a family of 4), opening up access for thousands.
- Reduction in the family co-pay to 1% of family income above the Federal Poverty Level (FPL).
- Funding for a small pilot program to increase child care access for families of children who are currently excluded due to their immigration status.
- Expansion of the NY child tax credit to children 4 and under, making nearly 800,000 children newly eligible.
- Development of online applications and categorical income eligibility for child care assistance to ease some of the barriers to accessing child care.
- $150 million to expand preK to 20,000 more children statewide
For child care/after school programs
- $500 million for a 3rd round of stabilization grants for child care programs to use for workforce retention.
- Reimbursement for 80 absences annually per child where care is paid for by child care assistance.
For employers
- $4.8 million for an Employer Supported Child Care Pilot Program serving families with income between 85% and 100% of SMI in 3 regions of the state.
- Employer Child Care Tax Credit for businesses that create new child care options and expand existing programs for their workers.
- $1 million to create a business navigator program in each of the 10 Regional Economic Development Council regions to help businesses support the child care needs of their employees.