Opinion: Ten child care policy priorities for New York in 2025

Every child deserves access to safe, affordable, and accessible care. This basic right isn’t diminished just because there is a new leader in the White House, nor would it be resolved by a simple change in leadership in the New York Assembly or state Senate. Our children have needs, and the people who serve those children have needs too. Their needs are constant, and we have an opportunity to serve them. 

Don’t get me wrong, I understand that there is a lot of hand-wringing around the 2024 election. There is a lot of fear and trepidation over how the electoral results will impact different communities. However the state still holds the power and the responsibility to protect children. Our child care system needs close to $1.2 billion in order to serve families in New York. The important thing is that the state has the power to serve children and families; and they must seize that power and not kick the can down the road. 

This shouldn’t be shocking. Every state and every legislative leader has a responsibility to position our children for future social-emotional well-being and academic success. That starts with seeing and honoring the needs of the youngest among us; this is not only important for children from birth to age 5 but well beyond that too. In the same way that children who are in grades K-12 have an education funding formula, we need a similar system for early childhood education and care.

We don’t want to go into a new year with a lack of clarity around what our children need, and what the people who care for those children need. For instance, in recent years, New York has taken important steps toward achieving universal child care by increasing state investment in child care assistance to nearly $997 million.  These investments will help the state cover the cost of eligibility expansions implemented in 2022 and 2023. Unfortunately, last year’s budget contained no increases in funding for child care or the child care workforce. This is unacceptable and unworkable for children, families, child care educators, and employers. 

For these reasons, the Alliance for Quality Education and the Empire State Campaign for Child Care is releasing this list of the Top 10 Child Care Policy Priorities for 2025.

State legislative leaders must:

1.     Boost Compensation for Child Care Workers 

2.     Guarantee Access to Affordable Child Care 

3.     Support Children with Special Needs 

4.     Expand Access for Immigrant Families 

5.     Strengthen Compensation for Family, Friend, and Neighbor Providers 

6.     Reform Payment Practices 

7.     Health Insurance Support for Child Care Workers 

8.     Ensure Universal Child Care Vision 

9.     Commit to Progressive Revenue Solutions 

10.  Recognize that investments in child care benefit families, the economy, and society. There is no logical reason not to support working families and the workforce behind the workforce – child care educators. 

If the state embraced these policy commitments, New York would be demonstrating a firm commitment to children, families and our communities. They would also be serving the state’s current and future interests. A recent report by New York’s Fiscal Policy Institute found that families with young children are 40% more likely to migrate out of New York than families without young children.

For months, a coalition of child care advocates has urged Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign three different bills that would ease the child care crisis in New York. But instead of taking bold action, Gov. Hochul’s vetoes this past week have shown that child care is not a priority for her. It’s merely a talking point. She vetoed the Decoupling bill (A.8878/S.8152), denying stable care for families with unpredictable work schedules, and the Minimum Earnings Requirement bill (A.1303-A, S.4924-A), locking out the most vulnerable families from child care assistance. Vetoes like these do more than stall progress - they actively harm families, particularly those from Black, brown, immigrant, and lower-income communities, who rely on child care to break cycles of poverty and build better futures. 

The governor did sign a somewhat watered down version of the Presumptive Eligibility bill (A.4099-A/S.4667-A), but it was only after relentless advocacy from communities across the state and ​​strong leaders in the Legislature. This is not the bold leadership New York’s families need, and it’s not the kind of action that will create a truly equitable child care system. Without the full implementation of policies like the Decoupling and Minimum Earnings bills, we remain far from the universal, accessible child care system that so many New Yorkers need to thrive.

Almost 10 years ago, my 2 daughters faced the difficult decision of placing my grandchildren in childcare, a choice that was not made lightly. The entire family rallied together to ensure that this decision would be a positive one for them. Ms. Melissa, their caregiver, was a true blessing – her dedication and nurturing care went far beyond typical childcare. She became an integral part of our family, and we continue to see her as a member of it. Thanks to the strong educational foundation Ms. Melissa provided, both granddaughters thrived in school. When they entered school one was skipped twice, and the other once, demonstrating the lasting impact of the early care and learning they received under her guidance.

If the state invested in our youngest residents, they would also be signaling to families and grandparents like myself that they no longer need to migrate out of the state but instead that New York is welcoming to them and their children. We cannot let another New Year’s Eve ball drop without clarity on funding and commitments for child care in New York. To do so would be a shame.