Assemblyman Phil Palmesano (R,C-Corning) joined with his Assembly Minority colleagues at a press conference yesterday to voice their support for the "A Blueprint for Child Care (ABC) Plan. The ABC Plan is a comprehensive set of proposals aimed at increasing access to, and reducing the cost of, child care for families. The proposals would increase tax credits for families and providers, expand access to Universal Pre-K (UPK) and cut excessive red tape and regulations that bog down the child care system in New York, the results of these proposals would help save New York families $2,300 a year.

Specifically, Palmesano and his Assembly Minority colleagues are calling for

Providing increased tax incentives to both providers and families:

• Increasing the state allowance of qualified expenses by 15% for the Child and Dependent Care Credit (A.9242, Ra).
• Increasing the state Earned Income Tax Credit amount from 30% to 45% (A.9258, Ra).
• Increasing Empire State Child Credit amount to 45% of the federal Child Tax Credit amount (A.9257, Ra).
• Doubling the existing Child Care Creation and Expansion tax credit amount from $25 million per year to $50 million per year (A.9245, Ra).
• Creating a new Child Care Facility Capital Improvement tax credit to help child care providers enhance and update facilities (A.9264, Ra).
• Calling on the federal government to reinstate the Enhanced Child Tax Credit permanently (To be introduced, Ra)
• Allowing local governments across New York state to offer an exemption from real property taxes on licensed child day care centers (A.8579, Slater).

Expanding access to early childhood education:

• Studying the feasibility of expanding UPK programs to serve students beginning at six months old (A.5870, Jensen).
• Universal Pre-K aid increase and program improvements (A.9128, Jensen). These include:
  • Increasing the state reimbursement rate to school districts for UPK students and expanding collaboration between school districts with child care agencies.
  • Ensuring school districts and child care agencies follow the same regulations regarding staffing ratios and class sizes.
  • Calling on the commissioner of education to streamline the hiring process for qualified UPK teachers and minimize the costs for new and existing programs.

Increasing accessibility and tackling affordability

• Increasing provider options by adopting rules and regulations that would establish a model for child care that includes hours outside of traditional models such as nights and weekends (A.9126, Jensen).
• Establishing a waiver to allow child care to be provided in the home to multiple families as an unlicensed and unregulated day care setting to encourage and facilitate parental choice (A.9202, Gandolfo).
• Implementing an eligible substitute child care database for child care providers when in need of coverage or support (A.6071, Slater)
• Conducting a new study to examine existing state barriers that prevent the new creation of providers (A.8969, Maher)

“I am proud to join my Minority colleagues and call for these common-sense proposals to help families have access to more affordable and reliable child care.Every child deserves a chance to thrive. What our conference is proposing would put more money into the pockets of parents, improve access to pre-K for all and cut the harsh regulations and red tape that are suffocating the child care industry. These will all work in tandem to help create a more accessible and more affordable child care system for New York families,” said Palmesano.