New York State Renews Funding for Working Families

Shatara, a TWU Local 100 member, says the Facilitated Enrollment Scholarship Program “offers me just what I need to survive and have my daughter continue excelling.”

This month, the State Legislature passed and Governor Hochul signed into law the state budget for the coming year, reinvesting in essential job training and child care programs provided by the Consortium for Worker Education. 
 
“We are grateful that Governor Hochul and state legislators continue to fund CWE’s essential services,” said Marco A. Carrión, President of the Consortium for Worker Education. “These programs have served New York workers through the decades, during both economic booms and recessions. As we continue our critical work providing education and child care services, it’s essential that we identify opportunities to expand and strengthen this support in the years ahead.”
 
In coordination with allied organizations, CWE advocacy helped secure hundreds of millions in additional state funds to support affordable child care. Because of this work, thousands of families throughout our city will continue to get the support they need to help manage the rising costs of childcare, which often exceeds $25,000 per year for an infant at a licensed daycare.
 
Families enrolled in CWE’s Facilitated Enrollment Scholarship Program, which is funded in the state budget, save about $18,000 per year per child.
 
“Without this scholarship, my daughter and I would either have to enter the NYC shelter system or move to North Carolina to stay with family and rebuild our lives after 17 years in NYC,” says Ambien, a District Council 37 member at the New York City Department of Education. “There would be no other option, as I make too much to qualify for free child care through other programs, yet not enough to afford private child care.”

New Yorkers are training for rewarding careers at CWE partners like Brooklyn Workforce Innovations

The budget also continues funding for CWE’s core job training and job placement programs that assist tens of thousands of New York workers each year. 
 
CWE partners with unions and community organizations to provide job readiness, vocational training, certifications, and skill upgrades at training centers across the city. The programs help workers at every stage of their career, from long-serving union members who need new certifications to stay in their jobs, to residents who are seeking their first job and need help with their resume and training for an in-demand industry. 
 
Jesus Huertas found the help he needed at St. Nicks Alliance, a Brooklyn-based community organization whose Job Club is supported with CWE funding. He was homeless after his mother passed away and he could no longer live in her NYCHA apartment. He completed job readiness classes and St. Nicks Alliance placed him into a mechanic job at Citi Bike, earning $25 per hour. 
 
The state job training funds require matching support from New York City and CWE is advocating for renewed funding in the City Council’s budget process as well. 
 
“In this moment of economic uncertainty, we need elected officials at all levels of government to prioritize New York’s working families with the support they need to succeed,” said Carrión.