Child Care Deserts Funding Opportunity Info Session With OCFS

Monday, February 7th at 2pm

Last Friday, Governor Kathy Hochul announced the exciting new Invest in NY-Child Care Deserts initiative, designed to create new child care slots all across the state. Join the NYS Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) next Monday to learn the following about this funding for new child care programs:

• eligibility criteria
• available funding
• award calculation
• allowable expenses
• scoring
• deliverables

You will also have an opportunity to submit questions for review and public response by OCFS at a future date. This session will be recorded and later available but attendance on Feb. 7th is encouraged:

To register for this session, please click here.

Visit the OCFS website to review the RFA (Request for Applications) materials in advance. 

Need help with registering or licensing a new program? There are info sessions all over NYS. Click here to find one in your area.

Schedule for test kits distribution:

• Friday, January 21st, from 9am to 7pm
• Monday, January 24th, from 9am to 5pm
• Tuesday, January 25th, from 9am to 5 pm

Keep in mind:

• No pre-registration necessary. Just come at the above times.
• You must be a Westchester-based, OCFS-regulated child care/after school program.
• You must bring a copy or photo of your valid child care license/registration along with photo identification.
• You will be asked to sign for your test kits.

The number of test kits by modality is as follows:

• Day care center - 22
• School age program - 22
• Group family child care provider - 12
• Family child care provider - 6
• Small day care center - 12

A reminder that the test kits are to be used for the providers, staff and families enrolled in your program. Given the limited quantity, we encourage you to reserve them for individuals experiencing symptoms or those with a known exposure to a COVID positive individual. Child care providers must not test children enrolled in their programs. If an enrolled child has symptoms of COVID, you may provide a test kit to the child's parent or guardian.

We will schedule additional pick-up times if needed.

The Council's Board of Directors recently approved an Equity Statement created by our staff I.D.E.A (Inclusion/Diversity/Equity Assembly) Committee in an effort to ensure that going forward, we "keep equity at the center of everything we do." The purpose of the statement is to:

• Declare that we will actively pursue change, both internally and with regard to the services and support we provide to our early care and education community;
• Clearly show that this work is a top priority for the Council, and;
• Demonstrate that our Board of Directors is in full support.

To view the Equity Statement, click here.

For more information, contact the I.D.E.A Committee at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Each year, the Child Care Council's Public Policy Committee drafts an agenda to determine the focus of advocacy efforts. The 2022 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 2022 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."

The Council's advocacy efforts are designed to help us achieve our vision: Equitable access to affordable, high quality early learning programs so that all children can realize their dreams and potential, all parents can work and advance in their careers, and our community has a skilled and productive workforce.

How can you help? Read our 2022 Public Policy Agenda, then:

1. Use our Voter Voice form to send a letter to elected officials
2. Join us at budget hearings - to show support, or to speak. Just share your personal feelings about why child care is important.
3. Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram, and share our advocacy messages with your followers
4. Ask your network to do all of the above. If you're a child care provider, please get parents in your program involve

Ready to get involved? Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Each year, we use our Cathryn A. Riley Leadership Fund Scholarship to give one member of the child care/after school community a scholarship to Leadership Westchester (LW), Volunteer New York's nine-month leadership program. This helps prepare our early care and education leaders for more visible and significant public roles, and gives us a way to share the impact of the child care community's critical work with emerging leaders from all over the county. Following a rigorous selection process, Dawn Meyerski, Executive Director of the Mt. Kisco Child Care Center, was chosen for her leadership of an outstanding child care program, and her commitment to advocacy on behalf of children, families and the child care industry.

"In a crazy busy world, I have enjoyed the opportunity to slow down and listen to and share with others from many different business sectors," said Dawn. "I am eager to continue this journey as we begin the exploration of our own leadership styles and work toward determining what our impact will be for the future."

The Cathryn Riley Leadership Fund is named for a program coordinator at the Child Care Council who lost her life in a tragic car accident at the age of 45. Designed to promote leadership and innovation in the field of early childhood and school age care, we hope to honor Cate's contributions as a teacher, mentor and leader. Scholarship recipients are chosen by the Fund's Executive Committee: Child Care Council Executive Director Kathy Halas, former Child Care Council Executive Director Lottie Harris, Westchester Community College Early Childhood Education Professor Mary Lou Sgro, and Dr. Pat Amanna, formerly the Director fo the Children's Center at Purchase College.

"I am so glad that Dawn was selected for Leadership Westchester," said Lottie Harris. "She will be an excellent participant on behalf of the child care community. Leadership Westchester is an outstanding program that has been training leaders in a variety of fields for many years. Not only does the individual benefit but the entire group becomes aware of many different professions and what each one contributes to the community as a whole."

The Leadership Westchester program kicked off on October 19th with an opening retreat, and will continue with full and half day sessions through June 2022. We look forward to following along with Dawn's LW journey and celebrating her graduation in the spring!