Early Childhood Reports

Children Left Out, Again

April 28, 2022

New York State has drafted a proposal that will be submitted to the US Department of Health and Human Services, requesting flexibility in how it uses Medicaid funds. Known as a “Medicaid waiver,” the proposal includes a request for $13.52 billion to be used over five years. The intent is to design innovative ways of using Medicaid funds that will promote health equity and address health disparities. Despite the fact this waiver is focused on equity, the investments in the current proposal are not aligned with the needs of the poorest and most diverse population of New Yorkers who rely on Medicaid: children.

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Kids Can’t Wait Fact Sheet

April 27, 2022

New York State must devote more resources to strengthening the Early Intervention and Preschool Special Education systems, with a particular focus on eliminating inequities and expanding timely access to services.

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A Better Start

April 27, 2022

Rochester’s families deserve pre-kindergarten and kindergarten placements that meet their children’s needs. This report is a first step to better understand parents’ enrollment decision-making and how they experience enrollment policies. The goal is to help the Rochester City School District improve existing policies and processes so families have a better experience with enrollment.

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Family Voices: Monroe County Parent Poll

March 9, 2022

The balance between caring for children and work is a crisis or major problem for 7 out of 10 Monroe County families and 5 out of 10 parents say their stress is high as a result of the pandemic. The stress parents are experiencing has three branches: affording and accessing resources, pandemic disruptions in schools, and mental health impacts of the pandemic.

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Kids Can’t Wait 2022-2023 Goals

February 7, 2022

New York State must devote more resources to strengthening the Early Intervention and Preschool Special Education systems, with a particular focus on eliminating inequities and expanding timely access to services.

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Testimony to the Joint Legislative Budget Hearing on Human Services

February 3, 2022

There are many challenges plaguing the child care sector in New York State. I will summarize a few in this testimony, and share why my organization and the Empire State Campaign for Child Care believes a $5 billion investment is needed in the 2022-23 state budget.

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Barriers to Care – Improving Access to NYS’s Child Care Assistance Program

January 11, 2022

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.

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Declining Child Care Options for Young Children – Full Report

January 9, 2020

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.

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Child Care Report Executive Summary Cover

Declining Child Care Options for Young Children – Executive Summary

January 9, 2020

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.

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The Children’s Agenda’s Comments on Rochester 2034 Plan

August 15, 2019

The Children’s Agenda applauds the city of Rochester’s draft 2034 Comprehensive Plan for many of its goals to promote equity and prosperity going forward. Though many goals and strategies in the plan would benefit children and families, children are not mentioned in the vision statement nor is there a section dedicated to their unique needs.

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