Long Island lawmakers say child care is a top priority for the state Legislature in 2023
NEW YORK -- The high price of child care is keeping many New Yorkers at home and out of the workforce.
Some Long Island-based state lawmakers say the issue is a top priority. They released a three-point plan to begin to ease the crisis.
When they do the math, child care costs can make it unaffordable for some parents to go to work, Brigid Bova, grandmother of five, confirmed Thursday.
"You either can't afford it or you are stuck in the middle where all your money is going to go to child care and it doesn't make sense to work," said Bova, of Community Counseling Services.
At a cost of $12,000-$20,000 per child per year.
"That is more than going to the State University of New York," said Ryan Stanton, executive director of the Long Island Federation of Labor.
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The cost is even higher on Long Island. It's why Republican state lawmakers called for an increase in state child care subsidies to reflect regional costs.
"When you have a statewide standard, it simply isn't fair," state Sen.-elect Dean Murray said.
Murray laid out a three-point plan to make child care a top priority in Albany, including incentives for businesses to create workplace child care centers.
"Especially in the manufacturing industry, where they have these big facilities that they can carve out a small portion for child care on site," Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio said.
And third, tax credits to increase pay for child care workers. Jennifer Rojas, of the Child Care Council of Suffolk, represents 750 facilities.
"We have so many programs closing their doors or closing classrooms because they just can't hire the staff that they need to meet the staff ratios. It is like a crisis I've never seen in this industry," Rojas said.
Officials say 20% of child care workers in New York live in poverty, making minimum wage and no benefits.
"Treating child care workers as professionals -- this isn't a job, it's a profession and that's how we should treat it. We need to pay them accordingly," Murray said.
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They're urging Gov. Kathy Hochul to increase funding in the upcoming budget. Hochul is a longtime advocate for child care investments. A spokesperson said in a statement, "As the first mother and grandmother to lead the executive branch, Gov. Hochul recognizes the importance of child care to families throughout New York state and looks forward to continued partnership with the Legislature on this issue in the upcoming session."
Lawmakers say this is not a partisan issue. There is a return on an investment in child care -- more people productively in the workforce.
Last year, the state raised child care subsidies for low-income New Yorkers. Republican lawmakers on Thursday said the state needs to do more.