Press Release; ROCHESTER, N.Y., March 10, 2014 – Child Care Council Inc., a nonprofit
parent-referral and community-resource agency, today lauded the New York State
Assembly’s approval of legislation to increase the state’s investment in quality
child care, and it urged the state Senate to pass it as well.
Developed by the Assembly Child Care Workgroup led by Assembly Speaker
Sheldon Silver, the extensive package of legislation is aimed at strengthening
access to quality, affordable child care, increasing funding for child care
subsidies and providing greater opportunities for child care provider training.
Specific provisions include enacting a paid family leave act; limiting the
co-pay for child care subsidies to 20 percent; reimbursing child care providers
for absences of children receiving child care subsidies, helping to ensure
quality care; increasing access to training programs and professional
development activities for providers; and establishing the Early Learning
Council (ELC) to secure support for public and private investment in early
learning for children up to the age of five.
The Assembly also voted to increase funding for child care by nearly
$400 million over the next four years, which would increase the availability of
child care slots for families up to 200 percent of the poverty level through an
$11 million annual investment in child care subsidies.
“The state Assembly has taken bold steps to improve access to, and the
quality of, child care across New York state,” said Child Care Council CEO
Barbara-Ann Mattle. “As a nonprofit agency committed to helping parents find
the highest-quality care and to enabling providers and early childhood educators
to receive the most advanced training, Child Care Council applauds the Assembly
for approving this legislation, and we strongly encourage the state Senate to pass
these bills.”
The Child Care Workgroup created the comprehensive package of reforms
and investments following extensive research, roundtables and discussions
between workgroup members, parents, child care professionals and advocates.
