Overview
Governor Hochul and the New York State Legislature made important investments in economic security for children and families across the state this year. Reducing child poverty, increasing access to child care, feeding students in school, and supporting babies at birth – all are significant actions in the effort to ensure the health, education, and success of children. We applaud policymakers for delivering on these priorities.
That said, we are also frustrated by the State’s continued failure to invest in solving New York’s broken Early Intervention program. And we are concerned about the missed opportunity to invest in the child care workforce, the inaction on universal pre-K, and the failure to address youth mental health needs.
Our progress in New York is threatened by federal budget actions currently under consideration in Congress, including deep cuts to Medicaid and SNAP. These basic needs programs support our most vulnerable children and families – rural and urban alike. Cuts in federal funding could force the State to reduce allocations in the just-passed budget later this year.
Now is the time for New York State to prioritize the most vulnerable children and families and minimize the harm caused by federal actions. While some new proposals in the State’s budget do just that, more and bolder actions are needed in education, mental health, and Early Intervention.