SUBJECT:

PURPOSE:

Quality child care is one of the most important investments that can be made to help families. Parents can stay active in the workforce while children develop the solid foundation they need to achieve in school. Research shows that high quality child care programs with qualified teachers, a healthy and safe environment, developmentally appropriate materials and experiences, prepare young children for school and life.

An investment in quality child care is a contribution to economic self-sufficiency of working families that will benefit children, their parents and New York State. Working parents need stable, affordable and safe child care for their children. These public hearings are intended to examine the efforts made by New York State to provide quality child care, such as the effectiveness of the Executive Order issued by Governor Spitzer earlier this year authorizing unionizing of day care workers, and to determine what other steps are necessary to ensure affordable and accessible child care for working families is available.

Please see the reverse side for a list of subjects to which witnesses may direct their testimony, and for a description of the bills which will be discussed at the hearing.

Persons wishing to present pertinent testimony to the Committees at the above hearing should complete and return the enclosed reply form as soon as possible. It is important that the reply form be fully completed and returned so that persons may be notified in the event of emergency postponement or cancellation.

Oral testimony will be limited to 10 minutes duration. In preparing the order of witnesses, the Committees will attempt to accommodate individual requests to speak at particular times in view of special circumstances. These requests should be made on the attached reply form or communicated to Committee staff as early as possible. In the absence of a request, witnesses will be scheduled in the order in which reply forms are postmarked.

Ten copies of any prepared testimony should be submitted at the hearing registration desk. The Committees would appreciate advance receipt of prepared statements.

In order to further publicize these hearings, please inform interested parties and organizations of the Committees' interest in hearing testimony from all sources.

In order to meet the needs of those who may have a disability, the Assembly, in accordance with its policy of non-discrimination on the basis of disability, as well as the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), has made its facilities and services available to all individuals with disabilities. For individuals with disabilities, accommodations will be provided, upon reasonable request, to afford such individuals access and admission to Assembly facilities and activities.

SELECTED ISSUES TO WHICH WITNESSES MAY DIRECT THEIR TESTIMONY:

1. How will the Governor's Executive Order authorizing unionizing of day care workers affect availability, recruitment and retention or funding?

2. What private sector initiatives have helped, or undermined, availability of quality care?

3. Have other countries, Canadian provinces, or states initiated incentives or plans to increase available, quality care for children?

4. Many people work non-traditional hours. Many families also need supervised care for limited hours - from 3 pm to 6 pm, for example. What is the current system capacity for care for these families? What could employers do to increase that capacity? Are government incentives appropriate tools to expand day care oppportunities?

5. Is availability of affordable day care an obstacle to employers in employee recruitment or employee retention?

6. Are children safe in child care? Does OCFS have a sufficient investigative process when an allegation is made against a child care provider? Please explain.

7. Do the state's licensing and or regulation requirements need to be strengthened or relaxed relating to prospective providers going into the field?

8. Are co-payments a barrier to families accessing affordable subsidized child care? If so, what are families doing in order to receive child care?

9. Should the state invest in a statewide rating system that would promote quality child care in New York? How would such a system be structured? Please explain.

PUBLIC HEARING REPLY FORM

Persons wishing to present testimony at the public hearing on Access To Quality Child Care for Working Families are requested to complete this reply form as soon as possible and mail it to:

Kevin O. Frazier
Legislative Analyst
Assembly Committee on Labor
23rd Floor - AE Smith Bldg
80 South Swan Street
Albany, New York 12248
Email: fraziek@assembly.state.ny.us
Phone: (518) 455-4311
Fax: (518) 455-7095

I will address my remarks to the following subjects:

I will require assistance and/or handicapped accessibility information. Please specify the type of assistance required: