Dear Empire State Campaign for Child Care members,

The 2025-2026 legislative session officially began last week and we are hearing what you already know - that child care is a top priority for families across New York State. 

We are dedicated to advocating for a high quality, culturally inclusive universal child care system that meets the needs of families - regardless of income, immigration status, or work schedule. In New York’s 2025-2026 Budget, we call on New York leaders to make permanent and sustained investments in child care. To learn more about our priorities, click here.

There are many ways to join us on the road to universal child care. See below for upcoming opportunities!

Join Us in Albany

As the 2025 session approaches, we invite you to join us in Albany on January 28th to make it clear that child care must be a top priority in the 2025 state budget. We are ready to go to Albany and demand a child care system that meets the needs of families and early childhood educators. Please register today!



Registration will close at 3 PM TODAY

It’s vital that we have a big presence at the Capitol to show the Legislature, Governor, and the media that child care is a top priority issue in New York with much more work still to be done. We will hold a rally and participate in meetings with legislators to share our stories and our needs. In the meantime, we urge you to help get out the word in your networks by sharing this email and our registration graphic + flyer which can be found here.

ESCCC looks forward to our Advocacy Day on January 28th in Albany, and we hope you’ll join us for an amazing and empowering day! Register today so you don’t miss it!

Register for Advocacy Day 101



Join leaders of the Empire State Campaign for Child Care to discuss our upcoming Advocacy Day in Albany Tuesday, January 28th. We will review our legislative priorities, discuss the legislative process, and provide an overview of what to expect day-of.

We will be hosting 2 webinars. We encourage you to attend at least one webinar, especially if you have not attended an advocacy day before. Registration is required.

If you are unable to attend either session, we will be sharing out the presentation slides prior to January 28th. Please note that this webinar will not be recorded.

If you have any questions, please contact Shoshana Hershkowitz, Campaign Manager for the Empire State Campaign for Child Care, at shershkowitz@empirestatechildcare.org.

2024-2025 Legislative Wins and Losses

For the 2024-2025 year, the campaign heavily supported 3 bills that passed both the Assembly and Senate with bipartisan support and called on Governor Hochul to sign all three bills into law:



• Decoupling Child Care Assistance from Parents’ Exact Hours of Work - A.8878-A (Hevesi)/S.8152-A (Brisport)
• Eliminating the Minimum Earnings Requirements for CCAP Eligibility - A.1303-A (Clark)/S.4924-A (Ramos)
• Enacting Statewide Presumptive Eligibility - (A.4099-A (Clark)/S.4667-A (Brouk)

Governor Hochul signed an amended version of the presumptive eligibility bill that granted counties the option to opt-in, rather than requiring presumptive eligibility to be implemented statewide. We are deeply disappointed in her decision to veto the other two bills and will be advocating for their inclusion in the upcoming fiscal year’s budget.

ESCCC in the News

ESCCC members from across New York State have been busy calling attention to the child care system. Check out these articles that feature ESCCC member KT Korngold, Director of the Montessori Children’s Center and Meredith Chimento, Executive Director of the Early Care & Learning Council; Zakiyah Shaakir-Ansari, Co Executive Director of the Alliance for Quality Education; and Dede Hill, Director of Policy at the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy.

• A closer look at Gov. Hochul’s affordable child care proposals, WAMC (1/9/25)
• Opinion: Ten child care policy priorities for New York in 2025,  NYNM (12/30/24)
• New York lawmakers eye pushing Hochul farther on child care proposals (also mentions quotes from Assemblymember Sarah Clark and Senator Jessica Ramos) Spectrum, 1/10/25)

Connect with Us

The Campaign has been working hard to make sure our members have the resources you need to stay up to date with our work. Check out our new and improved website! You can see all the latest campaign updates, check out our press coverage, and learn about upcoming events. You can also take our Advocate Quiz to learn about how your skills and strengths can help us in the fight towards a more equitable and inclusive child care system!

Stay connected and follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, and BlueSky!

We look forward to seeing many of you in the coming weeks!