Affordable, safe, high quality, and nurturing child care is essential for the immediate and future success of New York State. Our goal as a state should be to increase the number of families receiving this critical support, and we should fund services that help us achieve that goal. Readily available child care helps parents remain in the workforce, contributes to economic growth and expands the labor force for employers. It also ensures that children get off to the best possible start to life.

After years of neglect, New York’s child care system is poised for transformation in 2022. There are multiple state-level child care bills that show great promise, along with a groundswell of support from federal legislators for making the cost of child care affordable. Regardless of which bills are enacted, there is no doubt that there is public and political will for transformative change.