Leaders representing Erie County are calling for Gov. Kathy Hochul to help close a child care funding gap.

The group, which includes Sen. Jeremy Zellner and Sen. April Baskin, Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes, and Assemblymembers Karen McMahon, Patrick Burke, and William Conrad III, sent a letter to the governor’s office saying Erie County is facing a $23.1 million deficit in the Child Care Assistance Program.

“Childcare is not just a family issue,” said Baskin. “It is economic infrastructure. For thousands of Erie County families, it is a lifeline that makes it possible for parents to work, provide, and build stability. With more than 5,400 children relying on CCAP and many more waiting, we must close this funding gap so Erie County can participate in this pilot program. I proudly stand with my colleagues in calling for expanded access to universal childcare in Erie County.”  

The group says that covering that funding would allow the county to join a new universal child care pilot for children under the age of three.

The pilot program would provide Erie County $20 million to offer childcare to all children from birth to age 3, contingent on a $2 million local match. Closing the CCAP deficit would allow the county to participate fully, providing immediate relief for families and strengthening the regional economy.

“Affordable childcare is essential to the upward mobility of Erie County families. Often, I hear from parents and caregivers who say childcare is too expensive, or they’ve been put on waitlists. Closing the funding gap and putting the universal child care program into the county eases the burden on families and puts our youngest into a structured, educational environment where they can begin to achieve at an early age. I am happy to stand with my legislative colleagues in Western New York in urging our governor to increase funding for the Child Care Assistance Program in Erie County,” said Peoples-Stokes. 

Â