NEW YORK — Gov. Kathy Hochul is announcing some critical investments to child care in New York state. Her office says this injection of funding will make child care fairer, more accessible and more affordable.
The goal is to not have families struggling, especially with the after effects of the pandemic and inflation.
Hochul said for most families, child care is the most expensive bill on their budget and that's what she is trying to fix.
On May 31, Hochul announced $500 million investment in this field. She calls it a Workforce Retention Grant. This grant will support 150,000 child care workers, for things like bonus payments and recruiting new staff.
The budget also includes an investment in a pilot program for employer-sponsored child care.
Hochul said because of how expensive child care is, New York state is losing a lot of young families who want to be here. She said this grant will help.
"I also know a little bit about this personally. I am the first mother to be the governor of the state, and 35 years ago, as I was starting out my career, all I wanted to do is work on Capitol Hill some day. I was a lawyer. I got the dream job for Senator Patrick Warrenham. But I love my job and then all a sudden my first child came along. There were no options. There were literally no options for my family and my husband was just starting out his career. We had to decide. You don't give the baby back. We have to make this work," Hochul said.
Her son now has a baby and is facing the same challenges, just like many other parents across the state. She said that is unacceptable and that's why she wants change.
You will need to apply for the grant. The applications are expected to open in July.