Child care supporters and lawmakers joined forces Thursday to call on Gov. Andrew Cuomo for funding.
The statewide effort is asking Gov. Cuomo to release the remaining $70 million left in the CARES Act.
Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee and child care providers say enrollment in child care has decreased along with their revenue. They say the cause is parents working from home and are no longer in need.
"It's really been difficult to continue working with our families and children with the limited amount of money that we had,” says Diane Rivera of West Street Child Care.
The executive director of Head Start of Rockland says, “The field of early childhood education is struggling to provide a safe and healthy program.”
According to a spokesperson for the state Division of the Budget, “The state has released $95 million of this funding so far and we continue to evaluate the needs of parents and child care providers as we seek to deploy remaining Federal resources..."