Devastated by pandemic, child care providers await financial help
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Analisa Sanchez spends time with Atreus, 2, left, and Damion, 4, at her daycare on Thursday, April 29, 2021, in Schenectady, N.Y. Sanchez started her daycare business in late August of 2020 and is in desperate need of federal help to cover costs, as are most day care providers in the wake of the pandemic. (Paul Buckowski/Times Union)Paul Buckowski/Albany Times UnionShow MoreShow Less
2of5Buy PhotoAnalisa Sanchez spends time with Atreus, 2, left, and Damion, 4, at her daycare on Thursday, April 29, 2021, in Schenectady, N.Y. Sanchez started her daycare business in late August of 2020. (Paul Buckowski/Times Union)Paul Buckowski/Albany Times UnionShow MoreShow Less
$2 3 Billion: How The Historic New York State Budget Reboots Child Care wskg.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wskg.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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A total of $2.3 billion has been set aside for child care services in New York’s state budget for next year. Advocates say the funding is historic for a system stressed during the pandemic.
The first thing to understand about New York’s $2.3 billion child care budget, is that it’s three times the size of what it historically has been. Under previous stimulus packages, child care funding was limited and riddled with red tape. Child care providers didn’t get money up front, and had to apply for reimbursements.
But they really needed the cash, said Jenn O Connor, director of policy and advocacy at Prevent Child Abuse NY.