$100M initiative expands affordable quality child care for struggling New York families
Working parents and families struggling to find child care in New York are slated to get more help through a multimillion-dollar initiative.
Working parents and families struggling to find child care in New York are slated to get more help through a multimillion-dollar initiative.
Gov. Kathy Hochul unveiled a $100 million plan to create more child care programs and expand programs that already exist.
She made the announcement while visiting a child care center in Albany on Wednesday.
The young kids gazed at Gov. Hochul as she read "Snowflakes Fall" by Steven Kellogg. Classrooms like this one are a safety net for kids and struggling families in need of cheaper high-quality child care that will ensure healthy development.
A total of $50 million will be used to build new child care centers and registered school-age child care programs.
Another $50 million will be allocated for tax credit incentives for businesses that want to create new or grow existing child care programs for their employees.
"This can be the difference between someone working for one employer or another based on whether or not they have child care available," said Gov. Hochul.
Sixty percent of the fund is going to Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester counties and the rest of the state will get 40%.
Businesses can apply for grants ranging from $500,000 to $1.5 million.
In order to apply for a grant, applicants must first prequalify through New York state grants gateway.
Final applications will be accepted through March 31, 2024.
The goal of the initiative is to change the scope of child care access over a four-year period.
