Mount Kisco, NY – New York State Senator Pete Harckham and Assemblymember Chris Burdick, along with advocates, childcare providers and local parents, called for increased funding and support for child care programs and working families at a press conference held today at the Mount Kisco Child Care Center (MKCC) and hosted by its executive director, Dawn Meyerski.

To see a video of the press conference, click here. 

Although the FY2025-2026 State Budget included a historic $2.2 billion investment in child care, expanded eligibility and capped some costs, too many New Yorkers—80% of households, according to one report—still don’t have access to affordable, high-quality child care. 

Additionally, a new report from the Common Sense Institute states that New York is dead last in terms of child care affordability among all the states in the country.

The child care industry is now facing high costs, workforce shortages and worker retention challenges, long wait lists, and child care deserts. Today’s press conference was being held in conjunction with Imagine a Day Without Child Care, a national day of action taking place on May 11.

“Child care is on the brink of collapse,” said Meyerski. “Low salaries make it very difficult to recruit and retain qualified staff. Even if they love what they do, many decide that they cannot afford to stay and do it. We are counting on $500 million in the next State Budget to support workforce compensation. The rising cost of care is making tuition out of reach for most families. While tuition is high, what we charge barely covers the cost of care. Imagine a Day Without Child Care will soon become a reality for families who need support and a safe place for their children during the workday.”

“For all of the wealth that has been accrued in the past 10 years here in the U.S., and here in New York, it’s shameful that we are not investing more in our safe, high-quality child care programs statewide,” said Harckham. “Being last in the nation in providing affordable child care to our residents just shows that we are doing something wrong that needs to be fixed immediately.”

Harckham added, “It is imperative that this year’s budget includes $500 million for workforce development and support to ensure the recruitment and retention of highly qualified teachers.” 

“Child care is in crisis here in Westchester, with parents and caregivers getting crushed with unaffordable childcare expenses, often making it available only to the wealthiest,” said Burdick. “At the same time, child care providers are struggling with ever-rising costs, workforce shortages, and funding gaps. This crisis hurts everyone and is negatively impacting Westchester’s economy. To address this crisis, we are calling for the 2027 budget to significantly increase the state’s investment in child care.”

Both legislators thanked child care providers, child care professionals, advocates and parents for their work in nurturing, shaping and educating our youngest residents.

The well-known long-lasting benefits of safe, high-quality childcare deserve repeating.

• Improved academic performance and school readiness.
• Better social skills and better communicating abilities.
• Enhanced emotional development. Individuals learn to care for others.

Studies show that children benefit from a high-quality program at a time when their brains are growing at a rapid pace. (A child’s brain doubles in size between birth and age 1.)

The economic benefits of child care are also well-known.

• Increased parental workforce participation and productivity
• Billions of dollars in increased economic activity and growth 
• Higher earnings long-term for the children too
• Reduced public spending on social services and crime

The First Five Years Fund study from 2024 shows a return of $7-16 for every $1 invested in child care.

Laura Newman, Executive Director of the Child Care Council of Westchester, said, “We don’t need to ‘imagine what a day without childcare’ is like because we already know. Last year, half a million women left the paid workforce. One of the solutions is to start more child care programs, and that’s why we are training child care providers who want to open new programs and increase child care slots.”

Kathy Halas, a child care advocate and former Executive Director of the Child Care Council of Westchester, said, “It’s the people who work in child care programs that make it the wondrous experience that it needs to be. We have made more progress in our child care system with this State Legislature and Governor than in all the years prior, but the staffing issue is not getting better, and it won’t go away until those who work in the field are confident that they can pay their own bills, take care of their own children and are compensated in a way that truly reflects the value of what they do.”

Howard Milbert, Executive Director of the Ossining Children’s Center, said, “Today, we stand together to say something simple but urgent: child care is not a luxury. It is essential infrastructure, as fundamental to our economy as roads, hospitals and schools. When child care disappears, everything else breaks down. Yet despite how essential this work is, it remains undervalued and underfunded. Families pay more than they can afford, providers earn less than they deserve and the system is stretched to the breaking point.”

Jennifer Lentz, a Mount Kisco resident and parent whose two sons attended MKCC, stated that she was able to go to work and her husband finished his college degree while working because her children could go to child care—“an amazing place to grow and thrive around other kids, which is so important.”

Lentz added, “My kids are in school age programs now and are thriving now because of the amazing teachers and support they had while at the Mount Kisco Child Care Center, and we need more places like this.”

State Senator Shelley Mayer, chair of the Senate Education Committee, said, “I join my colleagues and advocates in calling for the critical need for childcare support. For decades, I have worked to expand access to childcare because ensuring that every New Yorker has access to affordable, high-quality childcare strengthens families, supports working parents, and benefits the children and the entire community. At a time when costs continue to rise and New York is receiving less support from the federal government, investing in childcare is critical and will have an immense positive impact.” 

Also speaking at the press conference were Jennifer Fajardo, a parent who worries she won’t be able to go back to work if child care subsidies are not available; Ruth Goodman, a social worker at MKCC, who spoke on behalf of parents who could not be present at the event because they were working; and Deja Spruill, a teacher at MKCC who must work at a second job to make ends meet.