The New York State Child Care Availability Task Force (CCATF) today released its latest report, Making Child Care More Affordable, Accessible and Equitable for New Yorkers.

The report comes on the heels of the passage of the state fiscal year 2025 budget which continues funding for the ongoing four-year historic more than $7 billion state investment to expand access to affordable child care, invest in New York State’s child care workforce, and support working families.

The first CCATF report was issued in May 2021, and New York State has made significant advances in child care since then. Governor Kathy Hochul reconvened the Task Force in March 2023 – under the leadership of co-chairs New York State Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon and then OCFS Acting Commissioner Suzanne Miles-Gustave – to evaluate the state’s progress and develop additional plans. The CCATF’s latest report has been transmitted to the Governor and Legislative leaders. 

“Since the release of the Child Care Availability Task Force’s original report in May 2021, New York State has made strong progress in increasing equitable access to affordable child care by raising the child care eligibility limit to the federal maximum as well as investing $7 billion into supporting children and families,” the new Task Force report said. “However, the work is far from over. If New York State is to move towards universal child care, a strong framework and short-term changes are needed to develop and implement a statewide, universal system.”

Recent statewide child care initiatives that have enhanced services for New York families include:

• More than doubling the funding for the Child Care Assistance Program, which subsidizes the cost of child care for eligible families.
• Increasing income eligibility for child care assistance from 200% of Federal Poverty Level – $60,000 for a family of four – to the Federal maximum, 85 percent of the state median income – $99,250 for a family of four.
• Capping Co-Pays for families receiving child care assistance at one percent of family income above the poverty level. Previously, co-pays could be as high as 30 percent.
• Increasing the maximum subsidy available to provide additional access to families and higher reimbursement to providers.
• Providing enhanced rates to high quality providers, providers serving homeless families, and providers that serve families during non-traditional work hours.
• More than $100 million in funding for the new LEAPS after-school grant program.
• $280 million in underutilized federal pandemic funds allocated to the Workforce Retention Grant program, which will provide recruitment funding and bonus payments to nearly 14,000 child care providers statewide.
• $5 million to pilot staffed Family Child Care Networks in various regions to offer technical support and coaching to home-based child care providers, who are mostly women of color and make up the largest component of the state’s child care workforce.

OCFS Acting Commissioner Dr. DaMia Harris-Madden said, “OCFS is profoundly grateful to Governor Hochul and the state legislature for their unwavering dedication and commitment to improving child care services statewide. This historic investment conveys a strong message that childcare supports for our families are of top priority. We look forward to continuing to work on innovative and collaborative strategies that propel New York State towards a truly equitable, universal child care system.”

NYS Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon said, "Affordable child care is a foundational investment in our future, ensuring that every family in New York has the support they deserve. I applaud Governor Hochul for making historic budget allocations that demonstrate her commitment to strengthening child care services. This vital support is key to building stronger communities and fostering a resilient economy."

For more information about the Child Care Availability Task Force or to read the full report, please visit the Task Force webpage on the OCFS website.