Just a day after her State of the State address, Gov. Kathy Hochul traveled to Dutchess County on Wednesday to meet with child care providers.
On Wednesday, she announced a pilot program she said will expand child care in Dutchess, Monroe and Broome counties to start, with $20 million in funding for each county.
“What I want to do is have affordable full-day child care for children year-round,” Hochul said.
This pilot program aims to focus on serving children ages 0-3.
Hochul’s proposal for universal child care across the state has received criticism from her Republican opponent in this year’s gubernatorial election, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who has criticized her child care proposal for being too New York City-focused.
“If universal child care is truly a priority for this administration, then it should be implemented fairly and statewide,” he said in a statement last week. “Anything less is an insult to hardworking taxpayers outside New York City.”
Republicans say child care is an important issue, but believe this plan’s proposal for an increase of a $1.7 billion investment, wth a total investment of $4.5 billion for fiscal year 2027, may be a price tag that’s too high for taxpayers.
“The question comes down to the dollars,” Assemblyman Ed Ra (R–Franklin Square) said Tuesday. “It’s whether it’s realistic to think this plan can be done within our existing revenue streams. I’m looking forward to getting more details on how this fits into the state’s financial plan.”
The governor, however, says she remains committed to investments she anticipates will deliver affordable child care for nearly 100,000 more New York children.