TCA in the News

Research on the national expansion of universal pre-K programs found that when public child-care programs for older kids move into a neighborhood, providers serving younger children tend to shift to serving the older, more profitable kids, intensifying care shortages for the youngest. Nabozny said that researchers closely watching the rollout…

Child advocacy organizations such as The Children’s Agenda said the increased pre-K access will provide more young learners with a chance to build foundational skills, including reading, identifying colors and simple math. “About 90% of a child’s brain develops before they even enter the formal school system at age 5.…

We get a status update on accessibility issues with New York’s child care subsidies and consider what needs to be done to realize the state’s statutory goals to cut child poverty. Our guest is Pete Nabozny, a member of the state’s Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council and deputy executive director…

A statewide program that provides therapeutic and support services for infants and toddlers with development disabilities is struggling to keep up. Advocates for those early intervention services say children are spending months or longer on waitlists and that's an indication of systemic problems, including workforce shortages. A pending study facilitated…

As New York moves toward universal prekindergarten for 4-year-olds, the debate over what comes next is increasingly turning to 3K and how the state can eventually provide free child care for every 3-year-old. The final state budget that Gov. Kathy Hochul and lawmakers approved earlier this year included a plan…

Which expense is most difficult for your family to afford? That question was raised during a recent public hearing hosted by New York State's Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council. The goal was to hear from the public about the financial challenges they face, while also examining the council's anti-poverty efforts. What's working?…

Board commissioners who voted against the contracts expressed concerns about overpolicing students, the school-to-prison pipeline, and the cost of the programs, which total $968,800. To date, $3.3 million has been budgeted for the program. “Fear isn’t always the best way to get to the right solution or to the solution…

"Every young child in our community deserves safe, nurturing, and reliable child care. Parents in our community should never be forced to leave the workforce because they cannot afford child care or cannot find a trusted provider near their home or work. Rochester’s economy will flourish when our children, families,…

August 2026 E-Newsletter Poverty is a policy failure, not a personal choice We were honored to partner with the NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) for a local hearing, convened by New York State’s Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council (CPRAC) on Tuesday, August 4th. Established in 2022, thanks…

New York State’s Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council held a public hearing on Aug. 4 to present their anti-poverty efforts and to hear experiences and suggestions from New Yorkers. Barbara Guinn, commissioner of the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, said the purpose of the hearings is…

New York has taken another step toward creating a universal child care system, with Monroe County at the forefront. Gov. Kathy Hochul has directed $20 million in state funding for the Monroe County Child Care Pilot Program, a three-year program that has a target of expanding coverage for an additional…

Financial strain, low-performing schools, and state recommendations for improvements are a recurring narrative for Eamonn Scanlon, director of community impact at the Children's Agenda who has been studying the district for nearly a decade. “What you usually see is this pattern of cutting back on those extra things ... even…

Summer 2026 E-Newsletter   Celebrating another year of parent-led advocacy What a night to remember! We gathered at the beautiful Memorial Art Gallery for our 5th Annual Parent Appreciation Dinner, celebrating the many ways we are Growing Together Through Advocacy. Nearly 100 guests enjoyed a wonderful evening of dinner, music,…

Thanks to the grant, one hun­dred work­ers at Mount Kisco Child Care Cen­ter, Lois Bronz Chil­dren’s Cen­ter in White Plains, and Eliz­a­beth Mas­cia Child Care Cen­ter in Tar­ry­town will re­ceive a $2-per-hour salary in­crease, up to $350 per month, for three years. Ac­cord­ing to the Rochester-based or­ga­ni­za­tion Chil­dren’s Agenda, child­care…

High childcare costs have afflicted Americans for years, so New York State is introducing new funding for childcare. Children's Agenda policy director Pete Nabozny joined ARC Rochester on Thursday to tell us more.

The waitlist for New York City’s enormously popular childcare voucher program for low-income families has ballooned to 25,000 kids and isn’t likely to shrink, according to officials and experts — even as its budget keeps growing. Officials from the city’s Administration of Children’s Services, which administers the state and federally…

June 2, 2026 E-Newsletter Significant Wins, Others Left Behind: Our Statement on the NYS 2026-27 Enacted Budget The Children’s Agenda is grateful for the groundbreaking investments in New York’s child care system in the SFY27 enacted budget. Proposed by the Governor and with full support from the legislature, the $3…

We believe every child in New York who needs Early Intervention services should receive them. We encourage Governor Hochul and NYS legislators to make the investments necessary to ensure these therapies are available to every child. The Assembly and Senate have called for increased EI funding in their one-house budget…

Outrage continues to grow after a vote to adopt the proposed Rochester City School District budget for next school year. The $1.16 billion budget for the 2026-27 school year was approved in a 4-3 vote Tuesday evening at the RCSD budget adoption meeting. The adopted budget cuts social work services,…

These concerns, as well as cuts to food service, school counselors, and special education FTEs were echoed by members of the community at a previous budget forum, which had over 50 speakers. Local educational advocacy group the Children’s Agenda also released a report on the proposed budget, focusing on cuts…

Skepticism and doubt remain after the Rochester city school board passed — by a margin of one vote — a $1.16 billion budget that many community members, staff and parents opposed. The budget is larger than last year’s by about $44 million, though the district is also anticipating a fiscal…

New York’s Early Intervention Program is a powerful force for good in our state. As pediatricians, we know the crucial role of Early Intervention – the program, not just the idea – for children at risk for developmental delay or with complex medical needs. When a child isn’t sitting up,…

For over a year now, many families who are eligible for a state childcare subsidy haven’t been receiving it. That’s because demand for that program has far surpassed funding for it. In the North Country, St. Lawrence, Clinton, Essex, Warren, and Herkimer counties have all run out of their childcare…

Childcare providers around the state said the governor’s proposal is historic, but fails to properly address the workforce shortage and waitlist backlogs. They’re urging legislative leaders not to accept Hochul’s plan as-is and instead to include an extra $500 million for the workforce to ensure the system doesn't collapse under…

April 2026 E-Newsletter Rochester City School District’s Budget Must Support Students’ Mental Health As longtime advocates for improving educational outcomes for Rochester students, The Children’s Agenda understands the District’s difficulty balancing its budget each year, especially given the structural deficit from declining enrollment and delay in the budget process from…

Early Intervention services are a mandated federal service that New York State is failing to provide for one of our most vulnerable groups, disabled children. New York comes in 48th in terms of service provision in our country. The failure to provide these services is careless and unjust. While I…

Several teachers, students and concerned community members gathered outside Rochester City Hall on April 27 in protest of the Rochester City School District's proposed budget. The demonstration, organized by The Children's Agenda, Citizen Action of NY and Vocal NY, was held ahead of the budget hearing for the proposed budget…

Community members gathered at Rochester City Hall to protest proposed budget cuts to student support services within the Rochester City School District ahead of a City Council budget hearing. Counselors and social workers support students beyond the classroom, speakers said. They described working with students dealing with serious health issues…

Protestors gathered outside Rochester City Hall on Monday over proposed cuts to programs in the upcoming Rochester City School District budget. Rochester City Council held a hearing on the RCSD budget, one day ahead of another deliberation session for the Board of Education. The group The Children's Agenda says it's…

The proposed budget for next school year would reduce district-wide counseling, social work and psychology funding by about $3 million, according to the draft budget book. About 45 guidance counselor and social worker positions are also on the chopping block. District leadership previously pledged to bulk up student mental health…

Education advocates are pushing for more state funding for 3-year-old prekindergarten programs in Rochester and across New York. Local advocates hosted a press conference Wednesday at the Rochester Early Childhood Education Center to highlight the importance of funding for 3-year-old PreK. Rochester’s decades-long prekindergarten evaluation study found that attending prekindergarten…

NEW YORK — New York City lawmakers and advocates are calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to boost funding for child care vouchers to shrink a rapidly growing waitlist of thousands of families — or risk undermining efforts to expand access to child care. Hochul’s executive budget proposal earlier this year…

More than half of New York counties have stopped enrolling eligible families in the state’s child care voucher program as of mid-March amid a funding crisis that has persisted for over a year, new data shows. Thirty-five counties and New York City have had to close applications for the program,…

Spring 2026 E-Newsletter State Budget Watch State policymakers have proposed transformative investments in children and families this year, and we have high hopes that the final State Budget will include what we see as the best options proposed for Child Care, Pre-Kindergarten, Developmental Services, and Foundation Aid (School Funding). At…

Last week, the state legislature officially backed Governor Kathy Hochul’s plan to offer every 4-year-old in New York a free pre-K seat within the next three years. New York’s public pre-K program served three-quarters of eligible 4-year-olds last school year. But thousands of children statewide still lack access because their…

February 2026 It’s Time for Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) The research is clear: Attending Pre-Kindergarten leads to short- and long-term improvements in children’s academic and behavioral outcomes. Rochester’s decades-long evaluation study, RECAP, has consistently found that UPK increases rates of kindergarten readiness, particularly for students who enroll in both three- and…

Families in rural areas of New York say it is increasingly difficult to find child care. According to a report from the Children's Agenda, seven rural counties in Western New York shows can be characterized as child care deserts, where there are more than three children under the age of…

The Children’s Agenda Senior Policy Analyst Shannon Mullin discusses the limited access to pre-kindergarten outside of New York City and considers what has been proposed by Gov. Kathy Hochul to increase availability.

Gov. Kathy Hochul made a visit to The B.C. Center at SUNY Broome Feb. 4 to visit the children enrolled in the program and to highlight Broome County's unique position as one of three upstate counties selected for a pilot program boosting universal childcare. The new state pilot partnership will…

January 2026 With the Governor’s budget book in hand and the Legislature in session, our team is focused on building support for historic progress this year. Universal Child Care in NYS We were delighted to join Governor Kathy Hochul at the Eastside YMCA in Penfield on January 23rd in support…

Governor Hochul’s proposal to ensure free child care for all represents to The Children’s Agenda the culmination of years of work and hope. The organization’s CEO, Larry Marx, talked with Adam Chodak about how it would work, key parts still missing from the plan and why he sees the move…

A group of New York lawmakers and child care advocates are pushing to prioritize better pay for the child care workforce in this year’s state spending plan to complement the significant investments Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed in her executive budget. Hochul’s plan includes funding for 2-care and more money for…

Nearly 16,000 New York City kids and their families are languishing on a ballooning waitlist for child care vouchers as the city runs out of cash to meet demand for the program, city numbers show. The child care crisis is taking center stage as Mayor Zohran Mamdani vows to expand…

Hundreds of parents, providers and advocates are heading to the state capitol in Albany on Tuesday to rally for universal child care. They're calling on the state legislature to enact universal child care this year. They say Hochul's proposal in the state budget is a win they've been working toward…

Larry Marx, CEO of the Children's Agenda, said they need the federal government to recognize that childcare is a public good. "It's essential to the American way of life as public education and transportation. 90% of brain development happens before children reach kindergarten and children rely on safe and supportive…

Our Response to Governor Kathy Hochul’s 2026 State of the State Address In her 2026 State of the State address, Governor Kathy Hochul proposed bold investments that will profoundly and positively impact children, families and our economy across the state for generations to come. In a time of real setbacks…

Parents are cutting back on child care as costs stretch budgets. Research shows 1 in 5 families face child care hardships because of the expense, with single mothers most affected.

Broome County will play a major role in Gov. Kathy Hochul's $4.5 billion push to deliver statewide universal childcare. Broome County is one of just three New York state counties that have been selected as launching pads for the initiative through a new pilot program. On Jan. 14 Hochul announced…

Governor Kathy Hochul is making child care a priority in the upcoming state budget. It comes with new proposals to expand pre-K programs and assist more New Yorkers with child care assistance.

Advocates in New York State are celebrating an announcement today by Governor Kathy Hochul. Her administration is investing in statewide universal pre-K and additional programs to help families.

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday will unveil a plan to vastly expand free or affordable child care for New Yorkers across the state over the next several years. In doing so, Ms. Hochul is partnering with Mayor Zohran Mamdani and putting him on a path toward realizing one of the…

The Trump administration is freezing $10 billion in child care subsidies to five Democrat-led states, including New York. Pete Nabozny, Director of Policy, talks about the local impact.

Winter 2025 E-Newsletter Our 2026 State Policy Priorities Our key priority areas for 2026 are: • Child Care • Family Economic Security • Developmental Services • Education We will be watching the Governor’s State of the State address in January and listening for her policy priorities for children. Then the…

Voters across New York — both Democrats and Republicans — want the state to invest more in affordable child care, a new poll found. It’s the latest sign of growing political pressure on Gov. Kathy Hochul to push for the popular but expensive program ahead of a tough reelection race…

As part of ARC Rochester's Spotlight on Hunger, we learn more about The Children's Agenda and their work tackling food insecurity. Community and parent advocacy coordinator Isabel Rosa tells us more.

Policymakers of all stripes in New York are talking about increasing access to child care, but there isn’t a consensus on how to get there. We explore some possible next steps to take in 2026 with Pete Nabozny, director of policy for The Children’s Agenda.

The Greece Central School District is facing a growing need for support services for students with disabilities. Some of the youngest students who qualified for early intervention as infants or toddlers did not end up receiving those services and are entering prekindergarten at a deficit, said Stacey Brindisi, executive director…

November 2025 E-Newsletter November was National Family Engagement Month, and we are so grateful for our Very Invested Parents (VIPs) and their unwavering dedication to the issues that matter most for children. In the last 2 months, VIPs met with Rochester City School District Superintendent Dr. Eric Rosser to elevate…

Advocates with the Empire State Campaign for Child Care, who have long lobbied the state to set out on a realistic path to a universal system seized on the energy and attention, unveiled on Monday a proposal for initiating next steps that they hope Gov. Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers…

The Empire State Campaign for Child Care has proposed a roadmap to universal child care that includes two major funding bridges, each worth $75 million.

Monroe County receives the third largest allocation from the state’s Child Care Block Grant fund, but The Children’s Agenda says the county risks closing enrollment for the program next year unless more funding is set aside to keep it running. Several parents shared their thoughts on Wednesday at a Monroe…

Parents and advocates from The Children's Agenda argue that the county has historically excelled in enrolling families in its child care assistance program and fully utilizing state and federal funds, outperforming most other counties in the state. The program supports lower-income households by covering child care costs. However, advocates warn…

A new report shows Monroe County is spending millions of dollars each year on unfounded calls to CPS. Community agencies in our area say those resources could be better spent elsewhere.

Of the 6,768 Child Protective Services investigations in Monroe County in 2024, 76% were unfounded with no abuse or neglect, according to a report published by HOPE585 and The Children's Agenda. "That is real economic loss, pulling directly from families who are already living in the margins," said Ashley Cross,…

When a teacher, health care professional, or social worker believes that a child is being abused or neglected, they are legally obligated to report the matter to Child Protective Services (CPS), potentially facing legal penalties if they don’t. But the report from Hope 585 and The Children’s Agenda, another nonprofit…

The way that universal prekindergarten in New York state is funded is flawed and unsustainable, according to a recent report from three organizations. The Alliance for Quality Education, The Public Policy Education Fund, and the Children's Agenda all say the funding model needs an overhaul. “Attending pre–K has huge short-…

New York’s funding for pre-K education is not keeping up with inflation, according to a new report.

Chief Program Officer Brigit Hurley provides an update on the state’s effort to deliver early intervention services in a timely fashion, including cuts to funding by the Hochul administration that prompted a lawsuit by service providers.

Budgets ARE moral documents. As much progress as we’ve made at the state level, with New York now leading the country in universal school meals, tax credits, and child care assistance for families with children, the federal government just took three giant steps backwards. The federal reconciliation act will make…

New York State is being sued for failing to fully support early intervention services for children. The lawsuit is new, but the issue is not. A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers has been saying for years that the state is falling short in this area.

Approximately 28,000 households in Rochester would lose access to SNAP benefits in November. Over 31 percent of the city’s households rely on the federal program. Members of Voices of Community Activists and Leaders joined the Children’s Agenda at St. Peter’s Kitchen last week calling attention to the impact on food-insecure…

While childhood poverty is creating a number of issues in communities across New York state, work is being done to stop it at its source. "I’d argue it's one of the most significant challenges facing New York state as a whole and certainly families in New York state. About 1…

For Isabel Rosa, having health coverage is a matter of life and death. She has a heart condition that requires her to visit a doctor every three months. The medication she takes costs her thousands each month. “I don’t know what I’m going to have to do to make sure…

Early intervention service providers are suing the state Department of Health for “woefully inadequate” reimbursement rates that they claim violate state law. Agencies for Children’s Therapy Services, an advocacy group that represents providers, and two of its member agencies filed the lawsuit Tuesday in federal court, requesting the state increase…

As Governor Kathy Hochul publicly touts her support for universal child care, her office told New York Focus that it has privately convened a coalition to help find a way to pay for it. That comes as news to many of the lawmakers, unions, advocacy organizations, and provider groups most…

Several groups, including representatives from VOCAL-NY, are advocating for people who rely on assistance in paying for their groceries, demanding the Trump administration reverse the cuts to SNAP and restore the Household Food Security report, after the U.S. Department of Agriculture stopped the survey which tracks food insecurity. “We stand…

Earlier this year, lawmakers approved the largest cut to food assistance in U.S. history as part of President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Advocates also called for the Trump administration to reinstate the Household Food Security Report, the federal government's annual report on hunger in America, which it…

“The emergency food pantry network in town are asked to do always more with empty shelves, do more with less. That’s just not possible without a partner in the federal government restoring sanity to food policy,” said Children’s Agenda CEO Larry Max.

When a young child is found to have a developmental delay or disability, intervention to help them at an early age can change the course of their life. That’s because the most active stage of brain development happens in the first few years of a child’s life, when more than…

New York’s early intervention providers haven’t seen a substantive raise in three decades — and vulnerable young children are losing out.

Budgets ARE moral documents. As much progress as we’ve made at the state level, with New York now leading the country in universal school meals, tax credits, and child care assistance for families with children, the federal government just took three giant steps backwards. The federal reconciliation act will make…

Budgets ARE moral documents. As much progress as we’ve made at the state level, with New York now leading the country in universal school meals, tax credits, and child care assistance for families with children, the federal government just took three giant steps backwards. The federal reconciliation act will make…

More than a third of New York counties, home to over half of the state’s population, have stopped enrolling eligible parents in the state’s child care voucher program, new data shows. At least 21 counties were not accepting applicants for the vouchers as of early July due to lack of…

A spokesperson for the Governor’s office tells News 8 the plans already submitted by districts are currently under review. School administrators are considering exceptions to the ban. This includes for various medical conditions with a doctor’s note, students who need translation services, or for educational purposes through IEPs. “What parents…

Rochester City Council Vice President LaShay Harris, released a comprehensive report detailing the current state of childhood poverty in the city of Rochester. Compiled in collaboration with City Council’s People, Parks, and Public Works Committee and The Children’s Agenda, the report highlights troubling statistics and offers actionable recommendations to address…

New York State’s Early Intervention Program is ranked last in the nation for the timely delivery of services, like physical and speech therapy, to young children with developmental delays. Right now, only half of the children who qualify for therapy are actually getting it, and that's having an impact on…

Budgets ARE moral documents. As much progress as we’ve made at the state level, with New York now leading the country in universal school meals, tax credits, and child care assistance for families with children, the federal government just took three giant steps backwards. The federal reconciliation act will make…

Trump Administration layoffs and closure of the Department of Education will impact children in every school district.

Last night, we celebrated our VIP parent leaders at our annual Parent Appreciation Dinner. Parents and their willingness to show up and speak up for children - this is the heart of why we're here. From discussing the budget with members of the Rochester City School Board to advocacy bus…

Pete Nabozny, Director of Policy for The Children’s Agenda, discusses possible paths to funding a universal child care system in New York.

In New York, low and even middle income families can get help paying for licensed childcare for their children. It’s called CCAP, or the Child Care Assistance Program. Expanding that program by making more families eligible has been a huge part of Gov. Kathy Hochul's policy agenda, and it's received…

The Children's Agenda was honored to receive the Center for Teen Empowerment's Youth-Adult Partnership Award at their annual luncheon on May 7th. Members of our staff, Board, and Very Invested Parents (VIP) group attended the event. We are grateful for the strong partnership our two organizations have.

Pete Nabozny, Director of Policy for The Children’s Agenda, discusses the expected impacts of the State's budget on child poverty.

The Adams administration’s improbable hope that New York state would allocate more funding for child care vouchers was dashed Friday as Gov. Hochul signed the budget into law — leaving the essential program in limbo. City Hall had been counting on the state to provide hundreds of millions of dollars…

The state budget approved by legislators this week gives $350 million in additional funding to help New York City continue providing child care vouchers to low-income families — if the city throws in the same amount of its own money. There’s another major caveat buried in the fine print: The…

Eyes on State and Local Government: Since the beginning of March, advocates like you have sent 1,988 emails to State leaders to advocate for a budget that funds affordable child care, accessible therapies, and greater economic security for families. Your voices matter and we hope policymakers show that they are…

Mayor Adams’ latest budget plan does not include millions of dollars in funding needed to keep thousands of the city’s families on child care vouchers, putting a critical program for working families at risk of being significantly chopped down in scale. Adams had been counting on the state to pony…

Gov. Kathy Hochul and state legislative leaders struck a tentative $254 billion budget deal earlier this week that includes $400 million for the Child Care Assistance Program. The program provides subsidized child care and after-school to more than 80,000 New York City families and more across the state — but…