TOWN OF POUGHKEEPSIE – Didi Barrett (D-Dutchess/Columbia) joined fellow state legislators in calling on the Governor to release millions of dollars in child care funding New York received from the federal CARES Act. Speaking from the Honey Bee Child Care Center in the Town of Poughkeepsie, Assemblymember Barrett stressed the important role these providers play in the Hudson Valley, and how the COVID-19 pandemic has shown the need to more adequately support our caregiving continuum. “Before COVID-19, child care providers were already feeling financial strain and families across the state were struggling to access affordable child care – issues that have only been exacerbated by this public health and economic crisis. My colleagues and I are calling on the governor to release the full $70 million designated for child care in the federal CARES Act to better safeguard these essential providers,” said Barrett. “Right now many families are struggling with hybrid and remote school schedules, making care for school-age kids a new and critical piece of the caregiving puzzle. Affordable, high-quality child care is critical for our state’s recovery, and I’ll continue doing everything I can to make that a reality for more New Yorkers.”
The press conference was part of Thursday’s statewide Child Care Day of Action that brought lawmakers, community stakeholders, and residents together across the state. Today’s action follows a letter sent earlier this month to the governor urging him to act,
According to the state Office of Children and Families, 25% of child care programs and 70% of facilities for school-aged children have closed since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
