A few years ago, I was at a breaking point.
I’m a single mom of three—two boys and a girl, ages 12, 8, and 6. I work as a home health aide, a job that I love because caring for people and supporting families is my calling. But for a long time, I couldn’t work consistently because I couldn’t afford child care and had no one to care for my kids after school. Without child care, I couldn’t keep a job. During this time, I was also working to finish my college degree, and I remember having to bring my babies into class with me to take the final exams. My children would ask me if we could get ice cream after, and I would have to tell them we couldn’t afford it.
There were many days when I wanted to just give up.
That all changed when I started receiving Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) vouchers. For the first time, I had the child care support and stability I needed to work the hours my job required, even when schools were closed. I had peace of mind knowing that my kids had a safe place to go after school, during holidays, and over long breaks while I worked. I could finally do what so many other New Yorkers take for granted: provide for my family, give them a stable home, and show up at work for the people I care for every day.
But now, the future of that child care support is in jeopardy. And it terrifies me that our state is at risk of slipping backwards.
In 2022, under the leadership of Governor Kathy Hochul, Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and Speaker Carl Heastie, New York made really important investments in child care. They expanded eligibility for CCAP and helped change lives for tens of thousands of families like mine by finally giving us the ability to access reliable, affordable child care.
Because of a nearly $1 billion funding gap for CCAP vouchers, counties across New York are already turning away eligible families who need child care assistance. Even more are expected to follow, including families similar to mine who have been receiving and depending on these vouchers to remain in the workforce and give our kids a better life. Without immediate state action, we’re heading toward a child care crisis that will force thousands of working parents to leave their jobs to care for their children, while also leaving countless children alone, without care at all if their parents are unable to stay home with them.
As a home health aide, I know what it means to be essential. I show up for people who need me every day, just like the incredible child care providers who care for my kids. One of them even opened her doors for my kids on Christmas so I could go to work. They are heroes in their own right, and they deserve the resources to keep doing what they love.
And it’s not just about helping parents like me. This program is a lifeline for our children. When kids have a consistent, loving environment, they thrive. My children have caregivers they trust,
friends they love, and a safe space that gives them the stability every child deserves. If CCAP disappears, so does the stability on which many CCAP-eligible families and providers rely. These kids are our future doctors, politicians, and inventors, and where they spend their days will shape the people they grow up to become. Investing in child care isn’t just about supporting today’s workforce, it’s about building the next generation.
We cannot afford to go backward. I’ve been there. Struggling to find a job that aligns with school schedules. Traveling hours just to drop my kids at a daycare that will take them. Missing paychecks because I had to stay home when school was out. It’s a cycle too many families are stuck in. CCAP vouchers helped break that cycle for me. Now, I’m asking our state leaders to protect that progress for every family like mine that still depends on these vouchers to make a life for ourselves and our children.
Governor Hochul, Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, Speaker Heastie, please don’t let the child care system collapse just as it was finally starting to work! Fund CCAP. Invest in our future.
Our families, our child care providers, and our economy are counting on you.
The post Don’t Let New Child Care Crisis Undo the Progress We’ve Made appeared first on EMPIRE REPORT NEW YORK 2025® NEW YORK’S 24/7 NEWS SITE.
