Child Care Program

As a result of a working relationship between the Consortium for Worker Education (CWE), the New York Union Child Coalition (NYUCC) and the New York City Central Labor Council, thousands of state funded day care subsidies have become available for working families in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan.

These day care subsidies are targeted at working families—with incomes up to 275% of the federal poverty level—to help them pay for formal and informal child care and after school care. A family of four earning up to $51,838 annually could qualify for an average monthly subsidy of approximately $500 per child.

The enrollment programs for these child care subsidies have been streamlined to afford families easy access, including evening and weekend hours of enrollment at work sites, union halls and community based organizations. A simplified subsidy application can be mailed or faxed.

Established in 2004, the Liberty Zone Child Care Subsidy Demonstration Project of the Consortium for Worker Education (CWE) provides child care services to families who reside or have at least one family member working in the area south of 14 th Street in Manhattan. The New York Child Care Coalition is a partner of CWE in this effort.

In the Bronx, more than $7 million in state allocations have funded child care programs for 903 children, about half of whom have already been recertified to receive vouchers for a second year..

New York State has also appropriated $2.5 million for more than 400 child care subsidies in Brooklyn. The program is scheduled to start in spring 2005.

In 2004, Governor George E. Pataki made available $10 million in funds to expand eligibility for child care subsidies to working families in the Liberty Zone. This funding provides the support needed to stabilize the community, businesses and employment sectors in Lower Manhattan, the area hardest hit by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

The primary objectives of the project are to:

• Expand eligibility for subsidized care from 200 percent of poverty level to 275 percent, helping more working families with their child care needs. It is estimated that approximately 1,200 to 1,400 more children will be served.
• Improve working families’ access to child care assistance through expediting enrollment of children into care.
• Be part of a coordinated set of activities to stabilize employment and businesses within the Liberty Zone.

The CWE is conducting community and work site outreach to identify eligible families, inform them about available subsidies and the enrollment process. It will also provide parent education to help working families become aware of child care options and choices. In addition, CWE will expedite enrollment of families for child care subsidies and coordinate with New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) and OCFS in the provision of services.

For specific information regarding these programs, please contact Tarmo Kirsimae, Director of the Child Care Facilitated Enrollment Project at (212) 929-4608, extension 222, at the Consortium for Worker Education.