With New York state lawmakers leaving Albany ahead of Friday's state budget deadline, it is unclear on when the financial plan will make it through both houses of the Legislature, leaving policy goals like expanded child care access in the lurch. Nonetheless, advocates and providers are optimistic about a potential $3 billion investment in the industry that has suffered financial losses throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jennifer March, executive director of the Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York, told Capital Tonight that the funding will expand subsidies to help families pay for services, allow providers to invest in their workforce and get higher reimbursements from the state to cover operating costs.

“One of the biggest steps to universality is to move from serving a small share of households across the state of New York that earn 200% of the federal poverty level or less, towards a subsidized system that serves households earning up to 400% of the poverty level” said March. 

Currently, providers are limited to households of four earning $55,000 a year. Under the child care proposal, that threshold would go up to $111,000 a year for a family of four.

Some lawmakers have pushed for child care access for the children of undocumented immigrants in this proposal. March said this coverage is needed because immigrant and communities of color bore a lot of the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic and need child care access to return to the workforce. March argues funding for child care can provide an economic multiplier effect by having parents get back to the workforce and gives more resources to a cash strapped industry.

The potential increase in funding for the industry is being welcomed by advocates.

"The ability to really advance a plan to get the state of New York, way ahead of the nation, on creating a universal child care system, as well as making deep investments in universal pre-K, can have a transformative impact on families, communities, and on children’s long term outcomes," March said.

The state budget is due by midnight on April 1. The next scheduled legislative session is Monday, April 4.