AG James will continue fighting for children and families
Revamping the child care system will let families back to work and reignite New York’s economy
New York – New York Attorney General Letitia James held a rally on Sunday to address the growing child care crisis and highlighted her unwavering commitment to fighting for everyday New Yorkers including families who have suffered from disinvestments in the child care system. She was joined by supporters in city and state elected offices as well as working families and child care providers.
“The child care crisis predates the pandemic and now we have the opportunity to make real investments in affordable, high quality child care and early education for the entire state,” said Attorney General Letitia James. “I have fought for child care my entire career and I will continue to champion the expansion of child care and the workers who educate and care for our young children.”
Attorney General James has dedicated decades to bringing affordable child care to communities. As a City Council Member, she restored child care vouchers and kept the lights on in neighborhood centers. During her tenure as Public Advocate, she launched a program giving city workers low-cost child care at work. And recently in her role as Attorney General she fought to stop the Trump administration from slashing benefits for families.
Currently, the Senate and the Assembly have put forth landmark language in their one house budget resolution that include expanding universal Pre-K statewide, expands subsidy eligibility to undocumented New Yorkers (up to 500% of the poverty line) and eliminates the work requirement.
Safe, affordable, and reliable child care is a public utility, one that we desperately need to get New York back on track,” according to Senator and Chair of the Labor Committee Jessica Ramos. “The Senate one-house budget holds the framework from the Early Learning Child Care Act, a framework that takes necessary steps to get care to those who need it most. What we invest in our children and the workers who foster their social and emotional development at this pivotal moment will come back to us in droves, but we must go all in. I’m proud to stand with Attorney General James and my colleagues to make it clear that child care must be a cornerstone of our enacted budget.”
“Decades of underfunding and reliance on the unpaid and underpaid labor of child care providers — especially Black women and women of color — have left the child care sector on the verge of collapse,” said Senator and Chair of the Children and Families Committee Jabari Brisport. “I want to thank Attorney General James for highlighting the urgency and importance of addressing this crisis. It’s time for New York to build universal child care.”
“After decades of cuts, flat funding, and a lack of prioritizing child care, New York has a once in a lifetime opportunity to truly invest in child care, children and families, and the child care workforce,” stated Assembly Member and Chair of the Children and Families Committee Andrew Hevesi. “Quality, affordable, universal child care must be provided for every New Yorker who needs it. I am incredibly grateful to Attorney General Tish James and her team for continuing their work and advocacy for child care for New York’s families. We are here to celebrate the truly historic leadership of Speaker Carl Heastie, Chair of Ways and Means Helene Weinstein, Majority Leader Peoples-Stokes, Chair of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislative Caucus Michaelle Solages, and the rest of my majority conference colleagues in the people’s house, as well as our outstanding Senate partners including Majority Leader Stuart Cousins, Finance Chair Liz Krueger, Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris, Children and Families Chair Jabari Brisport, Labor Chair Jessica Ramos and all of our Senate majority conference colleagues for getting us to this point. Special thank you to my City Council Colleague, friend and Chair of the Health Committee Lynn Schulman for fighting for prevention investments for our children for years. It is crucial that we invest as much as possible in programs that we know prevent childhood trauma and help traumatized kids.”
“Child care is economic development and we must finally make it a priority,” said Assembly Member and Chair of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislative Caucus Michaelle Solages. “I applaud Attorney General James for supporting real investments in women and children across the state.”
“We have an opportunity to invest in the families of New York State. It’s also the perfect time to properly fund child care and reinvigorate the economy, as parents return to work,” said Assembly Member and Chair of Election Law Latrice Walker. “I applaud Attorney General James for bringing together such an incredible group of leaders and community members today to ensure we get this done now.”
Members of the newly elected women-majority City Council also joined the rally to underscore the importance of women in the workplace and quality child care that allows families to go back to work.
“Child care costs have skyrocketed, forcing many parents, mostly mothers, to stay at home,” said Council Member and Chair of the Health Committee Lynn Schulman. “The time is now to make child care accessible and affordable for everyone regardless of their zip code or status. I thank the Attorney General for shedding light on this critical issue today and her commitment to women and children.”
The relief for the child care crisis is incomplete without living wages for the experts who care for our children. To seriously revamp the child care system, child care workers need to earn a living wage, pulling them out of poverty and into the middle class.
“The early care educators in residential settings of ECE On The Move and the parents whom they serve wait patiently for the envisioned outcome that New York State recognizes the overwhelming needs of the child care sector and I am honored to stand today with Attorney General James a champion for child care providers,” according to Child Care Provider Shanita Bowen. “The state’s budget must reflect a robust investment for more families to have access to affordable child care and for the early care educators to have increased wage support. Subsidy rates must increase to reflect the essential work needed to keep our children cared for, educated and their families at work for our state’s continued economic growth. Our child care system requires reform. The workforce cannot maintain their livelihoods unless New York State takes the lead on rebuilding a strong child care system that values educators and how they are compensated. Without the long-awaited wage support for educators, there will be an increase in child care deserts. We look forward to an appropriate and robust budget of no less than $3 Billion for child care this year.”
