More than 400 parents and providers made their way to Albany Tuesday to rally for universal childcare. About 30 advocates from the Rochester area joined folks from all regions of New York State to meet with Capitol officials.

The Children’s Agenda called on Governor Kathy Hochul to increase compensation and benefits for the early childcare education workforce. They said the policies would help support the people and organizations that care for children within the community, and in turn, create more childcare opportunities for working parents.

“The hardest thing for me is being able to find someone who isn’t at capacity to watch the kids. So, I had to homeschool my oldest until she was 4, and now I have a 2-year-old that I homeschool as well. So, getting childcare is not easy, and you have to go through a lot of loops in order to get it,” said Jezare Hood with the Children’s Agenda.

Representatives from the Children’s Agenda go to Albany each year to fight for bills that aim to support childcare workers. For more information, you can click here.

Original story here: https://www.rochesterfirst.com/news/new-york/rochester-advocates-join-hundreds-in-albany-rally-for-universal-childcare/