Rochester, NY – Senator Samra G. Brouk (SD-55) and Assemblywoman Sarah Clark (AD-136) hosted a press conference earlier today to highlight the benefits of their childcare capacity expansion bill (S.4929/A.4003). The legislators were joined by their Rochester delegation colleagues, representatives from the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA), as well as local family advocates and childcare operators. The bill passed both the Senate and Assembly earlier this year.

Currently, the Office of Children and Families (OCFS) regulations classify an infant as 18 months of age and under, which applies to day care centers. For group family day care homes and family day care homes, however, a child is considered an infant at 24 months of age and under. This legislation would bring consistency to the regulations and lower the age of an "infant" to 18 months of age and under for group family day care homes and family day care homes, allowing one caregiver for every two children under 18 months of age in those spaces. This change would 1) align group family day care homes and family day care homes with day care centers and 2) enable providers to safely care for more children, creating additional childcare slots and allowing for expanded access to childcare for families across the state.

This bill offers critical support for families with young children, employers, and the local economy. The supply of childcare is not large enough to meet the needs of families, care is too expensive for many families to afford out-of-pocket, and the childcare workforce is underpaid. According to The Children’s Agenda, Monroe County has 39,828 children under the age of 5, and 76 percent of families with children under age 6 have all adults in the workforce.

Senator Samra Brouk (SD-55) said, “New York families are struggling to secure quality, affordable childcare. My bill with Assemblywoman Clark will align group family day care homes with the same regulations that apply to day care centers–enabling providers to safely care for more children and expand access to childcare by creating more childcare slots. This strategic childcare capacity expansion offers critical support for families with young children and is a boost to our local economy and employers that are facing a workforce shortage.”

Assemblywoman Sarah Clark (AD- 136) said, “Ensuring childcare works for our parents, children and providers continues to be one of my top priorities. This ratio legislation is a crucial step toward combating the current childcare crisis in New York. Establishing consistency in childcare standards will create better access for families across the state who are in need of safe and dependable childcare. This bill would not only increase available slots in childcare for the families that need it most but it will lessen the burden for our family providers that have struggled to keep their doors open for far too long.”

Assemblymember Jen Lunsford (AD- 135) said, “Access to quality, affordable and enriching childcare is a challenge at the best of times. But in childcare deserts like those in my district, and across Monroe County, parents are finding themselves pushed out of the workforce due to their inability to find childcare placement in their community. Common sense changes to regulations which help support more in-home daycare providers will go a long way towards helping us open up new placements and provide better care for our children. More capacity means more parents will be able to return to their careers, secure in the fact that their children are well-cared for and safe. I am proud to support this legislation.”

Assemblymember Demond Meeks (AD-137) said, “Expanding access to affordable, quality childcare is essential for working families across our state and right here in Rochester. By bringing consistency to our caregiver standards and allowing providers to safely care for more children, this bill helps strengthen our childcare system and supports the parents who keep our communities moving every day.”

Senator Jeremy Cooney (SD-56) said, “There’s no question that we need to improve accessibility when it comes to high-quality childcare. I want to thank Senator Brouk and Assemblymember Clark for leading the charge in the state legislature on this bill and I’m proud to support their efforts on behalf of our state’s children and families.”

CSEA/VOICE Local 100A Chapter Representative Armett Barnes said, “I represent 1200 home-based childcare providers in Monroe County. Leaving this as is unnecessarily limits how many children providers can care for. That means fewer openings for working families and more financial stress for providers. Signing this fix into law while aligning the standard of supervision for children under 18 months is a simple change that will create more childcare slots, which will support home-based childcare providers and increase access to affordable infant care for New York families.”

Child Care Council CEO Jeff Pier said, “Our community faces a childcare crisis, with a shortage of family childcare providers. This legislation will help address this crisis by expanding access to care for more families and by creating more group family and family childcare slots.

We commend and thank Senator Brouk and Assemblywoman Clark for putting forth this bill and for their ongoing efforts to improve childcare capacity in our community.”

Rochester Childfirst Network Family Child Care Director Ivelisse Marrero said, "I work with over 115 in-home day care providers across Monroe County who care for more than 1,600 children every day. Many of them already follow the 1-to-2 caregiver-to-infant ratio because it’s the safest and most manageable approach. This new bill supports that standard, allowing providers to continue delivering high-quality infant care without the burden of hiring additional staff or becoming overstretched. It prioritizes children’s safety, supports the sustainability of home-based care, and ensures families can continue to rely on trusted providers in their communities."