New York can make quality child care more affordable by streamlining enrollment in the state’s child care assistance program.

The child care system in New York needs greater public investment to ensure the child care workforce is paid a sustaining wage.

The Rochester City School District (RCSD) is facing unprecedented mid-year reductions in education aid from New York State. These cuts surpass the losses faced by any other school district in Monroe County, and are among the highest of any school district in New York State. The state’s current approach to budget reductions disproportionately targets districts with the highest needs, undermines the purpose of New York State aid to local school districts, and bolsters institutional racism in our community. 

The Rochester City School District (RCSD) Board of Education has approved a shift of as many as 500 PreK slots from existing neighborhood providers into two district-run schools starting next school year by a
5-2 vote. We applaud Commissioners LeBron and Elliott for opposing the plan and standing up for a more cautious and thoughtful approach. Now it is critically important to maximize potential benefits to
children and families and minimize any potential harm.

RCSD should immediately establish a Board-Staff-Community Task Force to develop a comprehensive Pre-K and early elementary enrollment plan.

Child care across the state and nation suffers from an extraordinary lack of public resources. Greater investments from local, state, and federal partners are needed to stabilize our community’s child care system, allow child care workers to earn a living wage, and ensure children receive the care and support they need to thrive. The purpose of this report is to inform leaders in Rochester, Monroe County, and New York State about the growing shortage of regulated care for young children, and to identify policies that can strengthen this crucial support for families.

Child care across the state and nation suffers from an extraordinary lack of public resources. Greater investments from local, state, and federal partners are needed to stabilize our community’s child care system, allow child care workers to earn a living wage, and ensure children receive the care and support they need to thrive. The purpose of this report is to inform leaders in Rochester, Monroe County, and New York State about the growing shortage of regulated care for young children, and to identify policies that can strengthen this crucial support for families.

Imagine two families who live a half an hour southwest of Rochester, NY. Jessica and Christopher Smith live with their two young children in the Village of Caledonia, in the northwest corner of Livingston County, while Jessica’s sister Ashley and her husband Joshua Miller are less than 2 miles away with their two young children in Mumford, part of the Town of Wheatland in Monroe County. All four parents are in their late twenties, graduates of Caledonia-Mumford High School, and have decided to live in that community to be close to one another and near friends and family. Each family has 1 and 3 year old children, and when their kids reach school-age, they’ll attend Caledonia-Mumford schools, just like their parents.

The purpose of the analysis is to determine whether current reimbursement rates are sufficient to attract a large enough workforce to meet the needs of children exhibiting developmental concerns.