Photos of today's event are available. 

New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) Commissioner Dr. DaMia Harris-Madden today presented an overview of the New York State 2025-26 Enacted Budget to a gathering of community leaders at the Dutchess County Department of Mental Health in Poughkeepsie. The budget represents a significant commitment by Governor Kathy Hochul to strengthening supports and services for New York State’s children, families and communities – including child care services, child advocacy centers and youth development programing.

“The state fiscal year 2025-2026 Enacted Budget underscores Governor Hochul’s commit­ment to the most vulnerable, making our great state more affordable for children and families to live and thrive, and supports the educational, social, emotional, physical, and mental health and well-being of children, youth and families,” Dr. Har­ris-Madden said.

The Commissioner pointed to the ongoing initia­tives to support child care services as particular highlights in the budget plan. “Governor Hochul has been unwavering in her dedication to ex­panding access to high-quality child care for New York’s families, investing more than $7 billion over four years upon taking office,” Dr. Harris-Madden said. “This historic commitment has resulted in the largest expansion of the Child Care Assistance Program in New York State’s history.”

Since last year, there has been a 34% increase in the number of children statewide served by the Child Care Assistance Program. There are currently more than 1,000 children in Dutchess County accessing child care assistance.

“As a New Yorker, I am proud that the State Fiscal Year 2026 Enacted Budget embodies synergy and inno­vation across multiple disciplines and systems, making transformational investments that will change the trajectory for many children and fami­lies,” she added.

Highlights in the Enacted Budget include:

• A $400 million increase in funding to preserve access to child care assistance for eligible families.
• $3 million to create new child care substitute worker pools that will help prevent closures of licensed and registered child care programs when there are staffing shortages.
• $1 million for continued support of the Business Navigator program, which offers resources to employers who want to help their employees find child care services.
• $112.2 million for grants supporting eligible after-school programs.
• $1 million to support the creation of the New York Coalition for Child Care, which will bring together business leaders, labor unions, service providers and tax experts to identify a sustainable path forward for achieving universal child care.
• $110 million to build or renovate child care facilities, particularly in areas with a shortage of child care services.
• Doubling funding for child advocacy centers from $7.2 million to $14.4 million. Child advocacy centers provide a child-friendly, safe, supportive environment and services for child victims of abuse or neglect and their non-offending caretakers. 
• $14.2 million to fund a 2.6% cost of living wage increase for certain human services employees at some of the not-for-profit agencies that receive funding from OCFS. The increases are intended to support recruitment and retention of human services workers.
• A $7.5 million increase in base Youth Development Program funding to $21.6 million, which supports a variety of locally approved programs including youth bureaus, after-school programs and various other services that help prevent juvenile delinquency and foster positive youth development.
• An increase of $7.5 million to $12.5 million for the Youth Sports and Education Opportunity funding, and $10 million for the Youth Team Sports Program, which provide funding to municipal youth bureaus to make grants available to not-for-profit or local community-based organizations that provide sports programming to youth under the age of 18.
• $1 million for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.

Following the Commissioner’s presentation, attendees were able to tour the local child advocacy center at The Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse in Poughkeepsie.

Dutchess County Department of Community and Family Commissioner Sabrina Jaar Marzouka said, “The State FY26 includes significant investment in childcare and other programs for youth that are much needed.  Yet gaps remain.  Dutchess County is working with our community partners on several new initiatives to tackle these challenges and we welcome the opportunity to work with OCFS Commissioner Harris-Madden in collaborative partnership to ensure the well-being of our children and youth.”

The Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse Board Chair Jennifer Gardiner said, “We are incredibly grateful for the State’s continued investment in children and families through the 2026 Enacted Budget. The expansion of funding for child advocacy centers and youth development programs directly impacts the lives of those we serve every day. These transformational resources strengthen our ability to protect and empower the most vulnerable, and we commend Governor Hochul and Commissioner Harris-Madden for their unwavering commitment to building stronger, safer communities.”

About the New York State Office of Children and Family Services
The Office of Children and Family Services serves New York's public by promoting the safety, permanency and well-being of children, families and communities. The agency provides a system of family support, juvenile justice, youth development, child care and child welfare services and is responsible for programs and services involving foster care, adoption and adoption assistance, child protective services, preventive services for children and families, and protective programs for vulnerable adults.