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In this newsletter:
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NEW: Campaign Statement on Senate and Assembly One-House Budgets + Schuyler Center's "Next Look" Budget Analysis
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ADVOCACY ALERT: March Weeks of Action
- Updated ESCCC Policy Priorities
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NEW: Child Care Video from AQE
- Anti-Poverty Advocacy Day Highlight 3/4
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EVENT 3/30: "Affordability and Childcare with a Statewide Lens" Webinar through Albany Law ft. Dede Hill and Alicia Marks
- New Report from Women In Need (WIN)
- ESCCC in the News
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Dear Empire State Campaign for Child Care members,
The momentum for child care continues to build and we are so grateful to share this moment with you all!
Our members continue to organize in every space. They're testifying in front of local and state policymakers, organizing and attending rallies, circulating organizational sign-on letters, spreading the word on social media, calling their legislators, and connecting with media outlets. The collective needs of the child care sector can no longer be ignored.
We are in awe of the advocacy efforts of so many of you in these last few weeks and cannot express our gratitude enough!
Read below for more details on the campaign's latest efforts.
| | Campaign Statement on Senate and Assembly One-House Budgets | | |
Earlier this month, the campaign released a statement in response to the Senate and Assembly One-House Budgets regarding workforce compensation, the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), the minimum earnings requirement, child care pilot programs, afterschool, and pre-K. While final budget negotiations are still ongoing, these proposed budgets signify key funding priorities for both houses in the New York State legislature.
We will continue to urge New York State policymakers to make significant, sustained, and permanent investments in the child care sector.
You can read the full statement below.
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Each year the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy, one of the founding organizations of the Empire State Campaign for Child Care, analyzes the Senate and Assembly One-House Budgets and assesses how they do (or do not) advance priorities that improve the health and wellbeing of all New Yorkers. This analysis also compares the One-House Budget proposals to Governor Hochul's Executive Budget proposal from earlier this session.
You can read Schuyler Center's Next Look analysis of early childhood education and afterschool on pages 4 - 7. Please note that this assessment also covers additional topics that affect children and families, including child welfare, child poverty reduction, and public health.
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Our advocacy is in full swing and we are not slowing down. Over the last few weeks, our members have shown up, spoken out, and made their voices impossible to ignore.
Last Wednesday we launched a powerful call relay, keeping relentless pressure on Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, Speaker Heastie, and Governor Hochul to secure significant child care funding in the final budget. On Thursday, we took to social media in a #NYSChildCareForAll Day of Action, amplifying the urgent child care needs of families across New York. And on Friday, we took it to the streets — parents, early childhood education providers, legislators, and advocates rallied outside Governor Hochul's office with one united message: the time to invest in child care is NOW!
A huge thank you to the leading organizations of this event, including ECE on the Move, Alliance for Quality Education, New York Communities for Change, Citizen Action of New York, The Action Lab, Make the Road New York, Providers Organized for Power, and Las Doñas!
| Photo Credit | Alliance for Quality Education | |
We encourage you to join us for additional opportunities this week to take action!
Join us for one powerful hour of collective action tomorrow, March 25th. We will come together virtually to pick up the phone and make their voices heard — because child care can't wait.
In just 60 minutes, we'll flood the phones of legislative leaders with a clear message: families need universal, accessible child care now. Whether you've never made a call before or you're a seasoned advocate, we'll provide everything you need — talking points, legislator contact info, and a community of people taking action alongside you.
Registration is not required to join. Please click the link at 1 PM tomorrow to join members of ESCCC's Action Team.
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We also invite you to join us in the city! We will be rallying outside Speaker Heastie's Bronx Office on Friday, March 27th to demand bold investment in child care.
We'll gather together to make clear that New York's families are watching, waiting, and ready for action. Child care funding isn't a luxury - it's a necessity. And we're not leaving until our legislative leaders know we won't back down.
Bring your voice, bring your neighbors, and bring your energy for child care!
Registration is not required.
| | Updated Policy Priorities - March 2026 | |
The campaign recently released its updated 2026 Policy Priorities. 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.
| | New Child Care Video from AQE | | The Alliance for Quality Education (AQE) recently sat down with Sheila Cora, owner of De Corazon Family Day Care, to discuss the child care workforce and the challenges she faces as a provider. Parents at Cora's child care facility also share how vital access to the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) is to their families. | New York CAN End Child Poverty and RMAPI Anti-Poverty Advocacy Day | |
Also earlier this month, members of the campaign joined the New York CAN End Child Poverty Coalition and the Rochester Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative (RMAPI) for their annual anti-poverty advocacy day. More than 75 organizers and advocates traveled from across New York State to rally in Albany and demand action.
We are grateful to members of ESCCC who attended and met with policymakers to advocate for child care access and affordability - a key facet of responsible anti-poverty policy. A special thank you to Eduardo Hernandez, Lead Capital District Organizer at Citizen Action of New York, for sharing his and his wife's experience with child care access after the birth of their youngest daughter.
| | "Affordability and Childcare with a Statewide Lens" Webinar through Albany Law | | |
Join the Government Law Center at Albany Law School for the 2026 Warren M. Anderson ’40 Legislative Series. Held annually during New York State's legislative session, the Anderson programs feature experts who address major legal and policy issues pending before state government.
Panelists will discuss the current state of childcare affordability through a statewide lens. The panel will discuss proposals, challenges, and promising trends for childcare affordability amid state budget negotiations.
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Nora Yates - Deputy Commissioner for the Division of Child Care Services at the New York State Office of Children and Family Services
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Hon. Jen Lunsford, Esq. - New York State Assembly Member, 135th Assembly District
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Dede Hill, Esq. - Vice President of Policy at the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy
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Alicia Marks - Owner Operator of Marks of Excellence Day Care and Member, NYS Child Care Availability Task Force
Registration is required. There is no cost to attend.
| | New Report from Women In Need (WIN) | | Check out the latest report from Women In Need, the largest provider of family shelter and supportive housing in New York City, which highlights the intersectionality of child care costs and homelessness. Housing and child care costs are often the highest recurring expenses faced by families, and the lack of affordable and accessible child care - whether due to high costs, low supply, inconvenient hours of operation, or quality concerns - is driving the family homelessness crisis. | | |
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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