New York has a childcare crisis

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New York has a childcare crisis.

The cuts in government funding and increased costs in labor and supplies at a time of rising inflation are taking a toll on childcare providers and working parents with young children.

Just ask Lisa Bridge, the executive director of Port Washington Children’s Center.

“One of the things that’s been a big loss was when the funding ended that subsidized COVID,” she said, referring to the nearly $24 billion childcare funding that was part of the American Rescue Plan.

That funding, she said, “was subsidizing tuition to middle class families.” The lack of funding is driving tuition costs up, and without it, families find they “couldn’t afford the care.”

In Port Washington, the Children’s Center serves families across the spectrum, with some in the lower-income bracket qualifying for government assistance to those in the upper-middle-end bracket.

But, Bridge said, “it’s hitting the middle-income families the most. And that’s what we’ve been really trying to look at to tackle.”

Across the state, two out of five New Yorkers with children report that either they, or an adult member of their household, forgo employment outside the home largely because of the high cost and availability of childcare, according  Cornell University’s 2023 Empire State Poll.

With childcare growing increasingly unaffordable in New York, Sen. Kristen Gillibrand assembled the Child Care Working Group (CCWG). The group comprises advocacy organizations, elected officials and government agencies across the state. It aims to promote childcare as a public good, expand access to high-quality, affordable childcare and support the childcare workforce.

This aligns with the direction Bridge said would help address the crisis. She pointed to the Affordable Care Act, which aims to provide access to healthcare for all. And she pointed to right to a free public education. Through that lens, she asked, “Why is childcare not a right?”

Meanwhil, CCWG held its first meeting Monday in New York City.

“Providing childcare to every family is difficult work, but it can and must be done,” Gillibrand said in a written statement.

She said she formed the group “to convene minds from across sectors to help tackle the childcare crisis.”

“Access to quality, affordable childcare is essential to a child’s future and allows parents to succeed in their careers and to continue contributing to our economy,” Gillibrand said. “The CCWG is also focused on caring for our childcare providers, who are responsible for nurturing, shaping, and spearheading early learning for the next generation.”

Jennifer Marino Rojas, executive director of the Child Care Council of Suffolk, is a CCWG member.

“The childcare crisis is real and hurting many New Yorkers,” she said in a written statement.

Rojas added the CCGG aims to “identify realistic and meaningful actions that be taken to support the childcare providers, ensure the workforce is paid adequate wages and to make childcare available and affordable to all families with young children.”

In Port Washington and elswehere, the struggle is especially exacerbated for families with more than one child.

“A family might be able to afford a couple thousand dollars for a big preschool tuition, but then, if they have a second child, it’s $5,000,” Bridge said. “This starts becoming like … the cost of their mortgage.”

Now, she said, “we’ve been looking at one parent completely dropping out of the workforce and staying home to take care of the kids.”

The Cornell poll found that 78% of New Yorkers said childcare workers should be paid on par with elementary school teachers, with 79% saying they support public funding for universal childcare.

Increased pay would also help childcare centers attract and retain talent, as many teachers have moved on to fill spaces at the grade-school level as teachers retired amid the pandemic, Bridge said.

The issue of childcare is year-round, and not just for families with children ages 5 and younger. Families struggle, too, to put their kids in summer camp.

And any government subsidies should be considered at a regional level, as costs in the metropolitan area are much higher than elsewhere in the state, Bridge said. Also in the balance is a staff-to-child ratio to maintain safety.

In December, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced $50 million in grants to expand and build childcare centers and $50 million in tax credits for businesses supplying workplace childcare.

Additional meaningful change may not come, Bridge said, until families get vocal, and say things like “I can’t get back to work because childcare is too expensive.” Or, childcare centers are going to present “a dangerous situation because care is going to erode.”

For Bridge, and others, this level of advocacy is a priority.

Bridge put it this way: “If we don’t speak up, who’s going to?”