Lacking state funding, city officials announced they will be closing enrollment and wait listing families for a child care voucher program. 

“Sadly, the state’s proposed budget provides insufficient funding for its own program. So we are unable to enroll any new applicants seeking such vouchers beginning today,” First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro said Monday morning.  

What You Need To Know

  • City officials said Monday that they will not be able to enroll any new families into a key child care voucher program citing a lack of state funding 

  • City Hall says the state needs to pick up the tab for the state program. The governor has proposed a matching system putting up $400 million with the city being able to access $350 million if they put in their half 

  • As of Monday, families not on cash assistance will be placed on a waiting list pending the result of negotiations between the city and the state 

“Without additional funding without conditions, New York City cannot continue, not just the growth of the program but maintain the gains it has achieved over the last several years,” Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Suzanne Miles-Gustave said.  

Monday’s announcement comes just days after the mayor at his supposed “best budget ever” address first raised alarms about what they’re calling a $350 million shortfall toward the program. 

“To be clear, this is a step we did not want to have to take,” Mastro added.  

Under the mayor’s budget, they charge the state for the full amount. 

But under the governor’s budget the city has to pick up half the tab — a change local officials say they were not expecting. 

“We have an additional $300-million of a child care voucher program that they put in place and told us to make sure we enroll people. They always fund it. They're taking $350 million away. Like where’s the outrage,” the mayor said Thursday.  

Gov. Kathy Hochul allocated $400 million toward the program in her recent budget, $350 million of which the city can access if they put in their part. 

In a statement, a spokesperson for the governor said, “This status quo is unsustainable, and if we are serious about providing comprehensive, affordable child care for working families, then these costs must be a shared responsibility between the City and the State.“ 

Over the last two years, the number of children using the low-income child care vouchers has surged, from 7400 in June 2022 to now 69,000, according to City Hall.  

Families already in the program are not in jeopardy, officials confirmed Monday. But only families with cash assistance will be newly accepted into the program for now.

“It's more than $250 billion in the state budget, so to say it's balanced, but there’s another $350 million, do the math. It’s a rounding error in the state budget," Mastro said 

He said that conversations are ongoing between City Hall and the state over the funding gap.