Julia Rock   

 February 28, 2025 Within the past two and a half years, the number of children in NYC using a low-income child care voucher went from 7,400 to 60,600. | Photo credit: eagle102.net, Flickr; New York Focus illustration Staying Focused Sign up for our free newsletter, and we'll make sure you never miss a beat. Email Address Submit Tweet Share Email Link https://nysfocus.com/2025/02/28/new-york-city-child-care-program-funding Republish Thousands of parents in New York City are set to lose state-provided child care assistance as soon as April, according to records obtained by New York Focus and interviews with advocates recently alerted to the upcoming funding cliff.  Unless Governor Kathy Hochul and the state legislature opt to put more money into the Child Care Assistance Program, New York City will soon start turning down new program applicants — even if their income qualifies them for the subsidies. Some families currently enrolled in the program will also lose their benefits when they try to recertify, which happens every six or 12 months.  The Administration for Children’s Services recently told child care advocates in a briefing document that 4,000–7,000 children will soon lose assistance each month, “as the City would have insufficient funds to recertify their care.”

 The city is facing the imminent funding shortfall as enrollment in the program has sharply increased in recent years and federal money dries up.  A voucher ticket shows an image of two children playing with colorful toys. In the background, text from the document, "Making Child Care More Affordable, Accessible and Equitable for New Yorkers." In Brief: Child Care Assistance Julia Rock Albany has nearly quadrupled spending on the program since 2021, but the state still spends less than half a percent of its approximately $240 billion budget on it. The federal government also gave the program a funding boost during the pandemic, which helped cover the cost of expanded eligibility. As those one-time federal funds were spent, the state has had to pick up more of the cost.  There are 60,600 New York City children covered by the program. The city needs an additional $240 million this fiscal year to maintain that enrollment level, as well as an additional $900 million next year, according to an ACS slide deck.