The last legislative session saw unprecedented attention paid to childcare and raising the income eligibility on various state programs from the legislature and Governor Kathy Hochul; policies partially predicated on emergency funding related to COVID-19.
Senator-elect Dean Murray (R-Medford) spearheaded the delegation. Cognizant of their party’s “deficit hawks,” the group positioned the moves as “commonsense” and as an “investment.”
“We are at a crisis on Long Island when it comes to childcare,” Murray said. “There is no simple solution; there is no one answer.”
Murray points to what he called the three “A’s” — affordability, availability and accessibility.
While applauding the increase in eligibility standards, Murray urged that regional economic differences weren’t accounted for “the most diverse economic state” – New York.
Childcare can cost New Yorkers over $2,000 a month. The cost of care in Long Island is $1,000 per month, more than the state average and over double the cost of care in some Upstate counties.
Murray was joined by Brigid Bova, case manager; Jennifer Marino Rojas, executive director of Child Care Council of Suffolk, Inc.; and Ryan Stanton, executive director of the Long Island Federation of Labor. Representing their given fields, the assortment of figures touted the benefits of increasing access to childcare.
“High-quality, affordable childcare is essential to working families and promotes positive child development,” said Rojas. “Unfortunately, the childcare system is currently in crisis, with many childcare programs closing or struggling to remain open. Investments are urgently needed to ensure that families are able to afford quality childcare and that there is a strong, high-quality workforce caring for our children.”
“With a state that boasts one of the largest budgets nationwide, trying to put that money anywhere before childcare is reckless,” Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio (R-Riverhead) said while highlighting the need for childcare within or near the parents’ place of work.
Murray claimed that investments, a word he adamantly used instead of cost, in childcare yield 2-1 returns in terms of revenues generated for the state. At the same time, he noted that there was a real demand for childcare from the private sector.
The group put forward three proposals as a starting point, emphasizing that this issue was both bipartisan and evolving.
Firstly, providing for those in need and leveling the playing field for Long Island families by increasing funding for childcare subsidies and making changes to how families qualify for help by accounting for regional differences in the cost of living.
Instead of using the current standard of 300% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) all over the state, the group wants the state broken down into the existing 10 Regional Economic Development Council areas.
We compare the regional median household income in each region to the state median household income. If the regional median household income is lower than the state median household income, that region stays with the existing current eligibility standard of 300% of the FPL.”
However, if the regional median household income is higher than the state median household income, they urge the use of the federal standard of 85% of the state median income.
Secondly, Murray’s plan is as such: expanding the supply of childcare by reducing non-safety and health-related regulations, supporting capital investments in building new sites, expediting the process for establishing new childcare businesses and further incentivizing employer-sponsored/provided care options.
Thirdly, supporting a strong childcare workforce by implementing apprenticeship programs for early childhood educators such as those implemented in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Colorado. These programs provide early childhood educators with on-the-job training and a career pathway to improve their knowledge and skills.
“The hardworking men and women of our region need New York State to understand that Long Island is different than other parts of our state and that the taxes they send to Albany should be used to make life better for those who live here,” said Senator Mattera (R-St. James) “By providing childcare help, we can allow everyone who wants and needs to work, to have that ability, and that will benefit our entire region’s economy.”
Murray and his peers hope that by promoting this issue now, it will be given preference in budget negotiations in Albany’s 2023 legislative cycle.
