Are Governor Hochul's Affordable Child Care Initiatives Helping Broome Residents?
Following her most recent State of the State Address and 2026 Fiscal Year Executive Budget, Governor Kathy Hochul has made it a point to make child care more affordable and accessible for New Yorkers.
Fox 40 spoke with the Unit Supervisor for Broome County Department of Social Services Jennifer Skinner regarding changes and strides the Child Care Assistance Program has made recently in partnership with state regulations.
Skinner says the biggest change the program has seen over the last couple of years is the income standard for families, which has jumped from $34,000 for a family of two, consisting of a single parent and child, in 2021 to $74,000 today.
The unit supervisor credits Hochul when it comes to this standard, saying the governor has made childcare a key importance for New Yorkers.
The Child Care Assistance Program has made a few other adjustments as well to help families out, including a three-month interim period for a temporary halt on work or activities. During the interim period, if you have an open childcare assistance case and have a temporary break from work, you can take your child to daycare and the program will pay for up to 90 days.
"The biggest way to describe it is the shift has been more towards the child, what is in the best interest of the child and a lot of what Governor Hochul has done up until this point over the past couple of years has really been to put the focus on the children and making sure that they are in a safe, happy quality settings," Skinner said.
Hochul also proposed at the beginning of January a $110 million dollar Child Care Construction fund to build and repair new and existing sites.