ALBANY, N.Y. (April 11, 2022) — In response to the passage of the New York State 2022-23 budget over the weekend, the public education advocacy organization Alliance for Quality Education released the following statement:
“Of all the budget bills passed over the weekend, none included any reference to Governor Hochul’s promise of a $7 billion commitment to invest in child care over the next four years. The absence of budget language on a multi-year commitment to invest in or expand child care leaves parents and advocates wondering whether the Governor’s announcement was lofty rhetoric or a meaningful plan,” said Jasmine Gripper, Executive Director of the Alliance for Quality Education.
“Last year when the legislature announced a three year phase-in of the Foundation Aid formula, the budget included clear language that outlined how the State was planning to increase investments in education, spread out over three years. The phase-in language creates accountability and signals a strong commitment to New York’s communities. We applaud the Governor and legislature for honoring their commitment to increase Foundation Aid to schools, and hoped they would have made the future investments in child care more clear.
“We hope Governor Hochul’s announcement on Friday was a real commitment to invest state funds in order to address the urgent child care crisis. We look forward to seeing the Governor uphold her commitment to New York’s families and child care educators.”