New York State 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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Kids Can’t Wait 2022-2023 Goals

February 7, 2022

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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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Summary of New York State Budget Provisions Related to TCA’s Four Priority Areas

April 22, 2021

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Recommendations for use of American Rescue Plan Funds

April 22, 2021

On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), a $1.9 billion stimulus plan designed to accelerate our nation’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. It contains a number of measures to provide direct relief to families, e.g. $1,400 stimulus checks to households, extended unemployment benefits and emergency housing assistance, and $5 billion for federal food aid. The pandemic recovery is addressed with $160 billion for vaccine distribution, supplies, emergency response, testing and the public health workforce.

A significant portion of ARPA funds are directed to children and families through provisions that include changes to federal tax credits and increased resources for child care, PreK-12 education, and closing the digital divide.

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2020 Policy Brief: Paying the Highest Price

September 30, 2020

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.

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2020 Policy Brief: Reopening Schools

September 8, 2020

The Children’s Agenda is deeply concerned that school closures are disproportionately harming our most vulnerable children. We believe schools need to reopen safely as soon as possible, but are concerned the politicization of the issue, and the lack of sufficient resources and clear guidelines for schools, is putting reopening—and children’s wellbeing—in jeopardy.

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2020 TCA Review of New York State Budget

April 23, 2020

We have a chance to use federal resources to rebuild the systems that failed children before and during the COVID-19 crisis, to make them stronger and more integrated than they’ve ever been. We hope New York State acts on the hard lessons learned during the pandemic by investing in affordable high-quality early learning, developmental services, income supports, and other strategies – at scale to fully meet the need, integrated into a seamless continuum, and sustainable irrespective of crisis – to help create a solid foundation on which New York’s children can grow and thrive.

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