State officials visited Niagara Falls Wednesday to discuss the state budget and its impact on families. Office of Children and Family Services Commissioner DaMia Harris-Madden outlined key investments, including a $14.3 million allocation for Niagara County for its Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP). Harris-Madden says that while the funding isn’t expected to eliminate waitlists for families seeking childcare, there’s a continued push in Albany for more funding to help provide those services.
“The truth is there'll probably always be waitlists until we get to universal childcare, but clearly by investing close to $9 billion since the governor has taken office, we've made significant strides there,” she said.
Harris-Madden visited the Niagara Falls Convention Center to highlight childcare investments included in the recently enacted state budget. It includes $3 billion for CCAP which helps eligible families pay for childcare costs. Harris-Madden says Niagara County will receive more than $14 million this year, with additional supplemental funding available if demand exceeds initial allocations.
"It's really important for you to forecast and look at how you can start to open up some of these wait lists, because that's the goal," she said.
County waitlists became a focus of the discussion after Niagara County created a waitlist for childcare assistance applicants last year amid growing demand.
Harris-Madden says some counties have already begun reopening enrollment as additional funding becomes available.
"While we've not achieved universal childcare, we are most certainly on the pathway to that," she said.
The state is currently testing universal childcare pilot programs in Broome, Dutchess and Monroe counties. Harris-Madden says those locations were selected in part because local officials had already begun planning how to expand access and build the infrastructure needed to support such a system.
When asked what universal childcare would look like, Harris-Madden described a system where access is no longer determined by factors such as income, family size or other eligibility requirements.
"We also recognize that this is a huge economic barrier, but it's also an economic opportunity that we can seize. It will open up opportunities for the workforce," she said.
The budget also includes funding for pre-kindergarten expansion, after-school programs and youth services.
