Child care is so expensive that U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen called it a “broken market” in 2021 because when you pay for it, “the price does not account for all the positive things it confers on society.”

Part of the problem is that one individual can only care for a limited number of children, and those costs are passed on to families. Because those costs are higher than what they may earn in wages, many mothers with college degrees are opting to stay home with their children.

While low-income working families in New York and other states receive child care block grant money to help pay for the service, the funding itself is not flexible enough for parents who work irregular shifts, according to state Sen. Jabari Brisport, the chair of Senate Committee on Children and Families. His bill, #S8152, which passed the Legislature last session, would address that issue. 

The bill is currently awaiting the governor’s signature or veto.