We are delighted to share our latest collection of child care stories from around New York State in our parent and provider storybook, “New York: A Child Care State of Mind,” a joint collaboration between MomsRising, the Empire State Campaign for Child Care and ROC-NY. 

Stories are a powerful way to show lawmakers the struggles their constituents face. Child care is in a crisis. Too many parents are struggling to find child care that is high-quality and affordable in their own communities. Too many child care educators are facing challenges being able to provide for their own families, due to the low wages in the child care industry. Many are also forced to close their doors and say goodbye to a profession they love.  

In “New York: A Child Care State of Mind” we have collected a diverse group of stories that highlight the challenges that childcare providers and parents are facing across New York.The diversity of these stories show that child care affects so many people, from all walks of lives, in all parts of the state. Here are some snippets: 

• Stevie, from Webster, shares how she was thrown into parenting as a result of becoming a foster mom and then adopting her nephew, and the challenges that child care presented along the way. 

• Dante, from the Bronx, shares how not having reliable and affordable child care has caused him to lose work as a restaurant worker, which has affected his wages and livelihood. 

• Carolina, from Astoria, shares the challenges of being a single mom and immigrant to access affordable child care in her community, and how she often has to rely on the help of other moms in her village to support her with child care. 

• Lisa, from Whitestone, shares that “After 22 years of owning a group family daycare I was forced to close down due to inflation. I was torn to raise my prices for working families.”

• Pam, from the Bronx, shares the challenges about being a family child care provider: “As children increase in age, subsidy rates decrease, however, overhead expenses do not.”

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The storybook also has information on the cost of child care where a recent report by Cornell shows that  the cost of child care is the biggest reason why people forgo employment outside the home. Equally alarming, torty-one percent of New York parents report that issues with child care have affected their ability to attend work, school, or other commitments. 64 percent of people in New York live in a child care desert, and do not have access to child care in their communities.

The stories bring to life what these statistics show us: With unaffordable costs and lack of access to child care in their communities,  the lack of child care is hindering New Yorkers’ ability to work, provide for their families, and thrive.

We need a child care system that works for all types of families: that honors and recognizes the varying needs that families have, such as child care such as non-traditional hours, culturally relevant care, and care that works for children with special needs and disabilities. We also need a child care system that works for child care educators so they can take care of their own families while providing the care they do so professionally and lovingly to our children. 

If you’d like to learn more about the work of the Empire State Campaign for Child Care’s work towards universal child care in New York you can visit www.empirestatechildcare.org 

If you’re a parent in New York State and would like to submit your story with us, please click here.