Report finds severe shortage in child care

by: WROC Staff

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — A new report from The Children’s Agenda said the city is in the midst of a childcare crisis.

According to the report, Rochester has approximately 9,000 kids under the age of 2 at any given time, but just under 1,000 child care slots.

Across Monroe County, the shortage evens out to only three slots for every 10 children. The Children’s Agenda said the shortage has gotten much worse in just the past few years.

“It shows up in the data,” Director of Policy at the Children’s Agenda Pete Nabozny said.

“The report that we released today shows that there’s a 23% decline, almost one in four slots for infants and toddlers has been lost in the city of Rochester in the last seven years.”

Program Operations Manager of Generations Child Care Jeanie Harris said the clientele list just keeps growing.

“We run wait lists all the time for infant and toddler care. Five years ago that was not the case.”

Senator Kristen Gillibrand will announce new legislation on Wednesday — which she said would expand access to childcare services at no cost to parents enrolled in certain colleges.