Hi John,

Over the weekend the New York State Senate and Assembly put out their budget proposals — and while we’re still working through all the details, we know that both make a far stronger investment in child care than what was proposed by Governor Hochul. There is still room for improvement on both proposals, but this initial step toward universal child care would be critical for New York’s families.

Sign our petition urging Gov. Hochul and our lawmakers to ensure that the final budget includes a bold and meaningful investment that would enable New York to take critical steps toward achieving universal child care.

Parents all over the state are exhausted. We are entering the third year of the pandemic and we need to invest in child care now so that we can continue working. If our state leaders are serious about improving our economy and the quality of life of New Yorkers, they must invest in child care. When parents have access to affordable, quality child care, child care educators are well compensated, and children have access to safe, high quality child care experiences. Investing in child care is a win-win for New York.

Tell Governor Hochul that we need to support our parents, children and early care educators ASAP! Our state leaders need to ensure that every dollar for child care in the one house budgets will remain in the final budget. We need the Governor to work with Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins and Speaker Heastie to ensure that their proposals are the baseline for negotiations in the enacted state budget.

Investing in child care is long overdue, and this is the moment to make it happen. Together we can help get New York on the path to universal child care.

In solidarity,

Jasmine Gripper