Major Expansion Of Childcare Voucher To Bring 10,000 NYC Children Off of Wait List
Today, State Senator Sam Sutton and Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein released the following statements applauding the announcement that over 10,000 New York City children are finally being moved off the childcare voucher waitlist. The lawmakers emphasized that this monumental step was directly enabled by the state legislature’s landmark $1.2 billion expansion of the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), which was passed in the New York State Budget earlier this year with the strong support of Governor Kathy Hochul.
With New York City announcing today that they are beginning the administrative rollout to clear the backlog, Sutton and Eichenstein applauded this long-awaited relief that they championed during the state budget negotiations and celebrated today’s victory which is a direct result of the state fiscal victories secured in Albany during the budget.
“I’ll never stop working to make life more affordable for New Yorkers — and that’s why I took action to expand childcare access and help even more families save thousands of dollars per year,” Governor Kathy Hochul said in a press release announcement today. “Our record investments in childcare across New York will enable communities statewide to continue this progress every day by connecting more families with the support they need and deserve.”
“While we are pleased to see the City finally processing these critical vouchers, let there be no mistake: this day was made possible by the hard work of the State Legislature and Governor Hochul,” said State Senator Sam Sutton. “When we negotiated a historic $1.2 billion addition to childcare funding in the state budget, it was with the explicit intent of delivering direct, tangible relief to working families who have been stuck on waitlists for far too long.”
“Families in our communities have been struggling under the crushing weight of childcare costs, and clearing this waitlist is an incredible victory,” said Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein. “I want to thank Governor Hochul for championing this funding during the budget season. Proper childcare is a top priority for every parent and often families are forced to weigh the benefits of a quality care program while considering the prohibitive expenses involved. This new funding will ease the burden for thousands of families, allowing parents the much-needed relief during these challenging times.”
Senator Sutton and Assembly Member Eichenstein remain committed to monitoring the administrative rollout to ensure that New York City processes these vouchers efficiently and without unnecessary bureaucratic delays, allowing families to access the state-funded care they were promised.
