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In this newsletter:

• REGISTER NOW: Advocacy Day 101 Preparation Webinars
• LAST CALL: Advocacy Day 2026
• ICYMI: Governor Hochul's Announcement on Child Care
• REPORT: "New York State Child Care for All: The Plan to Achieve It"
• Legislative Priorities for 2026
• Schuyler Center's State of New York's Children (SONYC) Child Care Data Sheets
• ESCCC in the News

Dear Empire State Campaign for Child Care members,

Happy new year! We hope you and your loved ones had a restful holiday season and are feeling energized for the months ahead.

Momentum for child care in New York State continues to build as we enter this next legislative session - driven by the dedicated voices of families, early childhood educators, advocates, and policymakers who continue to advocate for a thriving child care system. This month’s newsletter is full of important updates and opportunities to stay engaged, from new investments to upcoming actions and resources. We are in this, together.

Advocacy Day 101 Preparation Webinars

Join leaders of the campaign on Wednesday, January 21st from 7 PM - 8:30 PM or Thursday, January 22nd from 12 PM - 1 PM as they provide an overview of the New York State legislature, review the campaign's top policy priorities for the 2026 session, and discuss logistics for our upcoming Advocacy Day in Albany on Tuesday, January 27, 2026.

Please note that, in order to have a speaking role in legislative visits, you must attend one of the prep calls hosted by the Empire State Campaign for Child Care or its regional leadership organizations. You do not need to attend both sessions.

Registration is required. If you have any questions, please email empirestatechildcare@scaany.org.

Register by Friday 1/16: Advocacy Day 2026

Each year, hundreds of parents, providers, and advocates travel to Albany from across the state to meet with legislators, rally together, and make their voices heard. This is a day for every parent who’s had to choose between affording child care and housing, for every provider that’s stayed up late wondering how they can keep their doors open, for every staff member who had to leave the child care workforce because they could no longer afford to stay. We hear you and together we will fight for you until those struggles are a thing of the past.

Join us for one day. One voice. One demand: universal child care for ALL New York families!

1.27.2026

Registration is required.

Please note that registration will close at 5 PM Friday, January 16th. We may be unable to accommodate additional registrations after this date.

Governor Hochul's Announcement on Child Care

We are delighted that Governor Hochul has committed an additional $1.2B as a recurring investment to expand access to the Child Care Assistance Program. Tens of thousands of families across New York State rely on this critical program. Her announcement moves us toward fully funding CCAP to secure financial stability for some of our most vulnerable New Yorkers, while leaders act to transition to statewide universal child care.

We are also very excited about the universal community programs being rolled out across the state, which is another key component of our plan New York State Child Care For All (learn more below). We look forward to the implementation and expansion of these programs in urban, suburban, and rural communities, where too many families struggle to afford and access child care. We applaud Governor Hochul for announcing this ambitious proposal to move our state closer to achieving universal child care.

We are grateful that Mayor Mamdani uplifted the need to include Family Child Care (FCC) in the proposed expansion of child care in New York City. Mayor Mamdani correctly recognizes that Family Child Care is crucial to child care infrastructure. We also appreciate Mayor Mamdani’s recognition that every child must have access to early childhood education, including children with disabilities. This is a wonderful beginning to the Mayor’s campaign promise of delivering universal child care in New York City.

We must reiterate that permanent compensation for the child care workforce is essential to scale up to meet the demand of families in New York State. A well-compensated workforce is non-negotiable to the success of rolling out universal child care, and we look forward to working with both city and state government to deliver a system that serves every family, and provides early childhood educators with the thriving wages they deserve.

"New York State Child Care for All: The Plan to Achieve It" Report

The campaign's latest report, "New York State Child Care for All: The Plan to Achieve It", outlines actionable and achievable steps policymakers can take to put the state on the path to a child care system that works for ALL families, including:

• Providing ongoing and reliable compensation supplements to all members of the child care workforce. ($1.2B)
• Adequately resourcing New York’s Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) to ensure no eligible families are turned away or placed on waitlists. ($2.3B)
• Implementing two models of universal child care bridge projects in several communities around the state, to be expanded to more communities until free, universal child care is achieved statewide. ($150M)

ESCCC's 2026 Top Policy Priorities

The campaign recently released its 2026 Top Policy Priorities. Policymakers can no longer deny what we already know: the time to invest in child care is NOW! We are fervently committed to advocating for a high quality, culturally inclusive, and robustly funded child care system that meets the needs of all families - regardless of income, immigration status, or work schedule.

In New York’s 2026-2027 budget, we are calling on New York leaders to make significant, sustained, and strategic investments in child care.

Schuyler Center's State of New York's Children (SONYC) Child Care Data Sheets

Each year, the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy releases a data book that highlights the latest data on the State of New York’s Children in the areas of child poverty, child health, oral health, child welfare, and child care. 

As Governor Hochul seeks to address family affordability, the data reveals where progress has been made and where action is needed for our children's economic security and family wellbeing. The report includes state policy strategies needed to ensure that all children across the state have the resources they need to thrive. 

ESCCC In the News

Members of the campaign have been speaking to reporters across the state about the opportunity we have in New York State to achieve our vision of universal child care. Check out some recent publications below:

• Coalition calls on Gov. Hochul to enact NY State child care for all – Adirondack Almanack (12/15/25)
• How NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's push for universal child care could impact Long Island – Newsday (12/17/25)
• What will be the biggest 2026 policy fights in Albany? – City & State (12/22/25)
• Albany’s full plate: taxes, immigration (and maybe more wine) – Gothamist (1/5/26)
• Could New York State actually adopt a universal child care model? – North Country Public Radio (1/5/26)
• Hochul and Mamdani Announce Plan to Make N.Y. Child Care Universal – New York Times (1/8/26)
• Hochul proposes child care expansion through universal pre-K, more subsidies – Times Union (1/9/26)
• Inside Hochul's plan to expand access to child care – Spectrum News (1/9/26)
• What They Are Saying: Advocates, Unions, Child Care Leaders, Elected Officials, Educators and Parents Applaud Governor Hochul’s Plan to Deliver Universal Child Care for New York Children Under Five – Office of Governor Kathy Hochul (1/9/26)

For additional articles about child care and the Empire State Campaign for Child Care, please visit our media library.

The progress we have made would not have been possible without all of you.

Thank you for being part of this movement and for your continued commitment to building a stronger child care system for all New York families. We look forward to seeing many of you in Albany on the 27th!

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