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Gov. Kathy Hochul today attended the official opening of Penfield’s new Irene Skalny Childcare Center to highlight a $20 million pilot program that would improve access to child care throughout Monroe County. Her visit follows a proposal to invest $4.5 billion toward universal child care statewide.
The Irene Skalny Childcare Center, a YMCA child care center for children up to age 5, opened in October. The project received more than $1.5 million in state funding. Since opening, nearly half of the new additional spots have been filled and the center is expected to be at capacity by the end of February, says Ernie Lamour, YMCA of Greater Rochester president and CEO.
“We know how critical it is for the families we serve across the YMCA of Greater Rochester to have affordable, quality child care; and that’s why we worked so hard to open a new center in Penfield in a designated child care desert,” says Lamour. “Being able to provide this critical care means parents and caregivers can remain in, advance (in) or enter the workforce, directly contributing to the overall economic vitality of our communities.”
With a $1.7 billion increase for universal Pre-K and the expansion of child care subsidies announced earlier this month, New York’s new child care pilots intend to provide counties with funding for additional child care options.
Under the partnership, $60 million in state funding will be directed to Dutchess, Monroe and Broome counties. Monroe County will receive $20 million from the state to help fund up to 1,000 seats for children aged 0-3, with each county also contributing an additional 10 percent in funding.
Hochul’s latest announcements come as the state seeks to lay the groundwork for universal child care statewide. New York’s Child Care Assistance Program has seen a 25 percent increase in the number of children served over the last year, with $1.2 billion in increased funding this year. New investments are also slated to expand universal Pre-K for all four-year-olds statewide by the start of the 2028-2029 school year.
“My mission to deliver universal child care for all is a multiyear plan for the entire state,” Hochul says. “This new pilot program with Monroe County, and multiple other counties outside of the city, will open new seats and support families statewide regardless of their income status.”
Narm Nathan is a Rochester Beacon contributing writer and a member of the Oasis Project’s inaugural cohort.
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In the Rochester Metropolitan Area both the State of New York and recipients of funds through the Governor’s child care pilot program would do well to contact and interact with the Children’s Institute early learning program representatives to enhance their opportunities for success.
The Y has abandoned the City of Rochester with its central core no longer receiving services.They have a gym for students in the old Xerox building but no services for the general community that need daycare and a center city location on a bus route. I will no longer contribute to the Y.
This is good for the YMCA in Penfield, but the YMCA has essentially abandoned the City of Rochester with Daycare programs that were excellent and now do not exist. The Downtown YMCA closed after they transferred the vibrant daycare at Lewis Street YMCA to the downtown site. The YMCA is essentally following the corporate mantra of “go where the money is”, but they have a a non-profit mission. Where is the money for Rochester? I think that Governor Hochul, whom I have supported, needs to think of this public message!