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In this newsletter:
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NEW: Campaign Statement on Final Budget + 6/22 Post-Session Debrief Registration and Questionnaire
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EVENT HIGHLIGHTS: Providers Organized for Power (POP) NYC Rally 6/4 + NYAEYC Screening Recaps
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COMING SOON: Kids Can't Wait (KCW) Statewide Survey
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NEW: Campaign Statement on Federal "Anti-Fraud" Legislation
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STAY INVOLVED AND TAKE ACTION: Upcoming drop-in office hours + committee invite
- ESCCC in the News
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Dear Empire State Campaign for Child Care members,
After months of rallying, organizing, calling, writing, and waiting, New York State legislators have finalized a budget for FY 2027. For the child care community, there are both reason to celebrate and reason to keep fighting. This year's budget includes a meaningful increase in funding for the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), and this hard-fought investment reflects the tireless advocacy of parents, early childhood educators, and advocates who have made their voices heard across New York.
But we also know this budget is not enough and we cannot fully celebrate without naming what's missing. Child care providers are yet again without a dedicated workforce compensation fund, and this budget fails to address the deepening financial inequities providers and their team experience everyday as some of the lowest paid employees in the state.
We celebrate this progress with clear eyes: New York can and must do more and this budget is not the finish line for universal child care. The Empire State Campaign for Child Care will keep building momentum, amplifying your voices, and advocating for an achievable, robustly funded, equitable child care system that New York's families and early childhood educators deserve.
Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for everything that you have done to support us on this journey to universal child care.
Please note that we plan to take a pause from our monthly newsletter in July as we rest, reflect, and re-energize for the work ahead and look forward to reconnecting with you again in August!
| | Campaign Statement on Final Budget + Post-Session Debrief Registration and Questionnaire | | |
The final 2026-2027 New York State budget represents monumental progress toward our vision of universal child care with its record, recurring investments in child care assistance for low- and moderate-income families, and its significant pre-K and 3-K expansions. It also includes funding for the state’s first-ever universal child care pilot projects outside of New York City, and 2-K in New York City.
We are pleased the final budget includes many of the ESCCC’s top priorities, including robust additional funding for the Child Care Assistance Program as the state builds toward universal child care, and the launch of universal mixed-age child care pilots.
Without sufficient funds in the final budget for child care assistance, low-income working families will continue to languish on the child care assistance waitlist in New York City – 25,000 children and growing each month. Without any funding for compensation for the child care workforce in the final budget, it will not be possible to recruit and retain enough early childhood educators to meet the demand of a universal child care system.
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We invite you to virtually join leaders of the Empire State Campaign for Child Care on Monday, June 22nd at 7 PM as they assess what is - and isn't - in this year's final budget and how the FY2027 budget compares to the campaign's key priorities. There will be opportunity to submit questions via the question and answer (Q&A) feature. While we will do our absolute best to answer each question, we apologize in advance if we are unable to respond to yours in real-time and will do our best to follow up.
We will also be sharing a collection of photos from events this past year - including our annual Advocacy Day, Imagine a Day Without Child Care, rallies, press events, and more! You have all been instrumental in this journey to universal child care in New York State and we want to celebrate YOU!
Registration is required. If you have any questions, please email empirestatechildcare@scaany.org.
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We'd love to hear from you about a memorable moment from this past year, a person from the campaign who inspired you, or even just your go-to song to get energized for advocacy!
We encourage you to complete this brief questionnaire to share your feedback. If you do not have a Gmail account, you can email your responses to the questions below to Adanech Makey, Policy and Community Engagement Specialist, at amakey@scaany.org.
- What is a moment, meeting, event, rally, or outcome you would like to celebrate from this past year?
- What reflections do you have from this past year?
- Is there a person or group you would like to shout out?
- What is your go-to celebration song?
- Please email a quote, video, or photo of a moment you would like included in the celebration.
Please complete this questionnaire or email Adanech no later than tomorrow, 6/18 at 5 PM!
| | Event Highlights from June | | |
📅 On June 4th, members of the campaign joined child care providers, parents, advocates, policymakers, community allies, and littles at City Hall Park to rally for universal child care and to highlight the specific needs of Family Child Care (FCC) providers in the FY27 NYC budget.
A huge thank you to Providers Organized for Power (POP) for organizing this event and to ECE on the Move, Citizen Action of New York, United Federation of Teachers UFT), Make the Road New York, New York Communities for Change, Las Doñas, Alliance for Quality Education (AQE), and the Action Lab New York for co-sponsoring!
Interested in joining POP at a future event? Sign up to stay connected!
| | Photo Credit | Sheri Scavone | | |
📅On June 10th, the New York Association for the Education of Young Children (NYAEYC) hosted a one-hour screening at the Buffalo History Museum of Make a Circle - a love letter to early educators and a rallying cry for a child care system in crisis.
The film follows a group of child care educators who are determined to change how society values the education of its youngest citizens, weaving together the magic they create in the classroom, the struggles they endure at home, and their tireless activism for their profession.
Panelists at the event included campaign member Diane Abram, Joe Cozzo, campaign member Sheri Scavone, and Cheryl Williams-Manney and was moderated by Liftoff WNY's Rachel Bonsignore.
| | Coming Soon: Kids Can't Wait Statewide Survey | | |
Keep an eye on your inbox! The Kids Can't Wait Campaign will be sharing a statewide survey on Monday, June 29th and we want to hear from YOU.
The survey is designed to capture the experiences and priorities of New Yorkers - especially those with or working with children with developmental delays and disabilities - to help shape the campaign's legislative priorities for next year.
Make sure your voice is part of the conversation and stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks!
| | Campaign Statement on Federal "Anti-Fraud" Legislation | |
The Empire State Campaign for Child Care stands in solidarity with the early childhood education workforce and the families they serve. In New York State, this is a workforce that has historically been denied a living wage and basic benefits - a workforce that is predominantly women of color, including a significant share of immigrant women who have long been the backbone of our child care system. We stand shoulder to shoulder with early childhood educators and the families they serve in the struggle for the resources needed to lead a life of dignity and economic security.
Early childhood education is in urgent need of robust, permanent funding and support. It is a system that is unaffordable for families and professionally unsustainable for educators. The “anti-fraud” legislation does nothing to address the urgent and real needs of the sector and the families it serves. The current system already has rigorous oversight and accountability mechanisms in place. Worse, so-called anti-fraud investigations have a well-documented history of disproportionately targeting immigrant communities by treating the very people who care for New York’s families as suspects rather than the essential workers they are. What our sector needs is not punitive investigation - it is stable, permanent funding.
| | Monthly Drop-In Office Hours + Join a Committee | |
We welcome you to join us Friday, June 26th from 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM for our monthly virtual Zoom drop-in meeting and new member orientation. This is a great opportunity to ask any questions, refresh on our priorities, and learn more about the ongoing advocacy work the Empire State Campaign for Child Care is doing across New York State.
We encourage you to attend and all are welcome! (registration not required). A Zoom link will be shared Friday afternoon before the meeting.
Please email empirestatechildcare@scaany.org if you have any questions.
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The child care movement is building traction more every day - and there's never been a better time to get more involved with our work! Our committees are fueled by passionate people just like you and we'd love to have you at the table.
Now is a great time to plug in, deepen your impact, connect with fellow advocates, and make your voice heard where it counts most. Whether you're passionate about policy, communications, or organizing and outreach, there's a place for you!
Find the committee that fits your strengths and join us today.
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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:
For additional articles about child care and the Empire State Campaign for Child Care, please visit our media library.
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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.
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