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,…

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…

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…

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…

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…

In their 2025 budget plans released Monday, the state Assembly and Senate proposed hundreds of millions of dollars in new spending to help parents afford child care and to provide a wage boost to workers in the industry. The proposals would still invest less than what advocates and New York…

A proposal from state Senator Andrew Gounardes would send some new parents $1,800 in the third trimester of pregnancy.

The State Legislature is seeking to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to keep child care centers open in a crisis that is straining many families and their budgets, and also is a drag on the state’s labor market. A shortage of qualified child care workers, many of whom have left for…