UTICA, N.Y. — Citizen Action of New York joined parents, child care providers and community leaders Tuesday, Feb. 17 in Utica to call on state lawmakers to invest directly in New York’s child care workforce. They urged the state legislature to build on New York State Governor Kathy Hochul’s historic child care and Pre-K proposals by creating a permanent workforce compensation fund.
Citizen Action, Advocates, parents and providers rallied outside Assemblywoman Marianne Buttenschon’s office. Speakers at the rally emphasized that while the Governor’s proposed budget includes significant investments in child care assistance and Pre-K expansion, it does not include dedicated funding to increase wages for the child care workforce.
“We cannot build universal child care on poverty wages,” Citizen Action of New York organizer Enoshja Ruffin said. “If we value children and working families, we must value and fairly compensate the professionals who make it possible.”
Key legislative priorities include:
– creation of a permanent child care workforce compensation fund, providing approximately $12,000 in additional annual income per workforce member.
– adoption of New York State Governor Kathy Hochul’s proposed $1.2 billion recurring investment in the state’s child care assistance program and additional funding as needed to eliminate waitlists.
– investment in $60 million community care models as a bridge to true universal child care.
– $500 million investment to achieve universal Pre-K statewide by 2028–29, ensuring center- and home-based providers are integrated into expansion efforts.
Christie Seaver is a working mother and community leader. She shared how child care providers allow parents to fully participate in the workforce. “As a working mom, I can go to work every day knowing my daughter is safe, supported, and learning,” Seaver said. “Providers take so much off our plates but they are not paid what they deserve.”
Jamina Liley is an in-home child care provider and grandmother, described the long hours, rising costs, and financial strain providers face. “We treat these children like family,” Liley said. “But we struggle to make ends meet. A meaningful wage increase would mean stability and dignity for providers like me.”
Community leaders highlighted that child care is economic infrastructure. Workforce shortages have reduced capacity in communities like Utica and across New York State, leaving families on waitlists and employers struggling to retain workers.
“New York’s child care system has been subsidized by low wages for too long,” congressional candidate Will Stanton said. “Child care educators make less than ninety-six percent of occupations in the state. We cannot move toward universal child care unless we prioritize the workforce.”
Advocates emphasized that fully funding and stabilizing the workforce is essential to solving the child care crisis and ensuring no eligible families are turned away from assistance.
