When asked by Capital Tonight to explain the New York state budget’s investment in child care, Dede Hill, the director of policy for the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy in Albany, wasn’t able to provide an answer.

“This should be an easy question to answer, but I’m going to have to dodge a little. We are still digging into the budget trying to discern where all the dollars are, and what exactly is in there,” she said. “What I can say is that this budget contains significant new funds for child care subsidies.”

“Significant” may be in the eye of the beholder.

Subsidies are the principle means of support for low-income working families. There is $670 million in new subsidy funds in the budget. There is also $343 million in re-purposed ARPA money that will replenish stabilization funds for child care providers.  

Typically, according to Hill, the state budget includes $830 million total for child care, so this budget adds some funding, but it’s not clear where Gov. Kathy Hochul's reported $7 billion over four years is coming from. 

“To be clear, the public commitment that the governor made…was $7 billion over four years,” Hill explained. “So the piece that we’re still trying to figure out is how much is in this year’s budget, and then, how much will be seen in the out-years.”

The Schuyler Center isn’t the only organization searching for the funding. The Alliance for Quality Education released this statement on Monday afternoon:

“Of all the budget bills passed over the weekend, none included any reference to Governor Hochul's promise of a $7 billion commitment to invest in child care over the next four years. The absence of budget language on a multi-year commitment to invest in or expand child care leaves parents and advocates wondering whether the Governor’s announcement was lofty rhetoric or a meaningful plan.”

According to the governor’s office, the first two years of the child care investment are being funded by subsidy rollover funds and federal pandemic stimulus funds. The balance of the $7 billion dollars is reflected in out-year budgets.

Meanwhile, one of the lead advocates for increased child care funding, state Sen. Jabari Brisport, voted against the budget. His office sent out the following statement Monday afternoon:

“Governor Hochul has described the final budget as including a ‘$7 billion’ investment in child care over four years. It actually commits under $2 billion this year, and any spending for subsequent years would have to be voted on in future budgets.”

Additionally, Sen. Brisport questions the Hochul administration’s usage projections for child care because the rate (15% of eligible families) reflects the use rate during COVID-19 when families were home with their children.

Hill said that there doesn’t seem to be a lot of new funding in this budget, which is what advocates were pushing for.

“I do want to also make clear that we’re seeing very little investment in this year’s budget that is really new,” the Schuyler Center’s Hill said. “There is a lot of re-purposed or re-programmed federal dollars from last year. However, what’s most important of course is that we see expansions for families.”

Regardless of the amount of child care funding in the budget, the appropriation will serve low-income working families. The cap will expand from 200% of the federal poverty level  — the current cap — to 300%. The new cap begins on Aug. 1.  

This adds up to about $70,000 for a family of three or $83,000 for a family of four.

“As far as we can tell, the only new funds for child care in this year’s budget are about $60 million, with $50 million of that in capital,” Hill said. “The rest of the ‘new’ funding is reprogrammed funds from last year, most of them federal stimulus funds.”