Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr., (I, D, WF-Sag Harbor) announced he helped the Assembly pass a legislative package addressing New York’s child care crisis by expanding access to quality, affordable child care and instituting paid family leave. This action comes in response to recent recommendations made by the Assembly Child Care Workgroup.

“Parents are working long hours and cutting costs wherever they can just to stay afloat,” Assemblyman Thiele said. “Having access to quality, affordable child care shouldn’t be such a burden. We need to fix the system so working families get the reliable, safe and nurturing child care they need and can depend upon.”

With the economy still lagging, dual incomes are often necessary to provide for a family. In fact, over 90 percent of families rely on child care. Here in New York State, the cost of child care averages nearly $15,000 a year – more than some college tuition.¹ And, two-parent families spend nearly 17 percent of their annual income on child care – the second-highest cost in the nation.² The reality is many parents struggle to find affordable, quality child care.

“Working parents shouldn’t have to break the bank to afford quality care for their children,” Thiele said. “The steps we are taking to improve the child care system will give hardworking families peace of mind.”

Paid family leave

While the federal Family and Medical Leave Act guarantees 12 weeks of unpaid leave to many workers to care for a sick relative or bond with a new child, most people can’t afford to take unpaid time from work. That’s why the Assembly passed legislation to implement paid family leave benefits for injury or sickness, pregnancy or to care for a family member (A.1793-B). Workers shouldn’t have to risk their economic security in order to care for their families.

“You shouldn’t have to choose between your job and caring for a loved one,” Assemblyman Thiele said. “We need to support working parents by giving them the flexibility they need to take care of their families.”

Strengthening NY’s child care system

The package also addresses the following:

• establishing child care as a “compelling family reason” to voluntarily separate from employment, allowing parents to be eligible for unemployment benefits (A.8919);
• requiring local social services districts to provide a 60-day notice prior to lowering child care eligibility or raising the copayment (A.8918);
• capping the copayment for families receiving subsidies at 20 percent of household income (A.8928) and earmarking $70 million in the state budget to alleviate the burden on social services districts impacted by the cap;
• requiring social services districts to maintain waiting lists for child care slots (A.2581);
• establishing a 12-month work exemption for public assistance recipients with infants, freeing up child care slots (A.6839);
• taking child care needs into account when considering unemployment work search requirements (A.8920);
• disregarding the earned income of teenagers under 18 in the household for the purpose of determining child care eligibility, aligning child care with the state’s other public assistance programs – a $2.5 million investment (A.1077-A);
• simplifying the application for those applying only for child care assistance (A.8925);
• increasing state funding for child care subsidies to $11 million annually for four years;
• increasing funding for subsidies for families up to 275 percent of the poverty level;
• establishing a task force to review administrative and regulatory requirements governing child care programs and make recommendations for streamlining (A.8924);
• allowing providers to post their completed training and credentials on the state Office of Child and Family Services website (A.8923);
• establishing the Early Learning Investment Council (ELIC) to secure support for public and private investment in early learning for children up to the age of 5 (A.8921);
• requiring Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&Rs) agencies to provide legally exempt providers with information on training opportunities (A.8922);
• requiring local social services districts to reimburse providers for at least six absences per child in a three-month period – a $6.3 million investment (A.8926); and
• extending the rate of reimbursement for an infant to include all children up to 2 years old – a $5.3 million investment (A.8927).

“Our top priority should be ensuring parents have the resources they need to balance work and care for their children,” Assemblyman Thiele said. “Increasing access to quality, affordable child care and paid family leave are critical to providing families with the foundation for success.”

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1. money.cnn.com/2013/11/04/pf/child-care-costs

2. money.cnn.com/interactive/news/economy/child-care-costs/?iid=EL