Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. (I, D, WF-Sag Harbor) announced that he helped pass a series of measures that would continue to address the growing costs of child care and the need for parents to have affordable, reliable, safe places to send their children. The legislation is part of the Assembly’s Families First agenda and it follows passage of the 2015-16 state budget and legislation the Assembly passed last week to allow parents to work and increase their family’s economic security.

“Throughout New York, rising child care costs are outpacing parents’ ability to keep up. It is nothing short of a crisis,” said Assemblyman Thiele. “We must do more to help families gain access to quality, affordable child care – and the Assembly’s legislation takes important steps in that direction.”

Alarmingly, the cost of child care has reached an average of $14,500 per year in New York State,¹ while two-parent families spend about 17 percent of their annual income on child care. Single-parent households struggle even more, spending over 50 percent of their annual income on child care. In fact, New York State ranks second nationwide for highest child care costs as a portion of family income, behind only Oregon.^2,3 ,

“Working families shouldn’t have to choose between caring for their children, putting food on the table and paying the bills,” said Thiele. “They also shouldn’t have to worry about their children’s safety while at day care. Parents who pursue a career should be able to afford child care while providing for their families.”

Strengthening the child care system

Legislation passed this week addresses issues that can improve the overall child care system in the state, including measures that would:

• require local social services districts to reimburse child care providers for at least 12 absences in a six-month period (A.6568);
• require local social services districts to reimburse home-based child care providers at the infant rate for children up to the age of 2 (A.7191);
• cap copayments for families receiving subsidies at 20 percent of household income above the poverty level (A.6174);
• require the use of simplified applications for parents applying for child care assistance (A.4469);
• establish a task force to review administrative and regulatory requirements governing child care programs and make recommendations for streamlining (A.7135);
• establish an Early Learning Investment Commission (ELIC), to create greater opportunities for investments in early education programs (A.6629);
• allow child care providers to post their completed training and credentials on the state Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS) website (A.1864); and
• require the online listing of all afterschool and child care programs registered by OCFS, along with a map displaying their locations (A.1869).

Child care investments in the state budget

Following the recommendations of the Assembly’s Child Care Workgroup, the 2015-16 state budget responded to the rapidly growing costs of child care by including nearly $34 million to improve New York’s child care system. This investment will help ensure more hardworking families can access the quality child care services they deserve without breaking the bank, Thiele noted.

“The Assembly’s legislation, along with the considerable investments made in this year’s state budget, are part of our commitment to ensuring that every family has the resources they need to balance work, pay the bills and care for their children,” said Assemblyman Thiele. “The Families First agenda meets the needs of working and middle-class families by fighting to raise the minimum wage, securing more funding for local schools and expanding job opportunities. Access to affordable, safe child care is part of the equation for strong families.”

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