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"The additional Title XX program funds and a child care subsidy specialist in the 2015 Westchester County budget is a win for children, families, school districts, businesses and the local economy. We are extremely gratified by the bipartisan support for access to quality early care and education services. We recognize that with this budget's passage, Westchester becomes part of a great national trend toward broad, diverse support for early care and education. We have seen evidence of this in many places, including Congress, with the authorization earlier this year of a major bill funding child care subsidies.
"The addition of the childcare subsidy specialist addresses the fact that funding for the subsidy in the 2014 budget went unused because parents were unaware of the opportunity and/or not able to complete the rather challenging application process on their own. The specialist, based out of our office in Scarsdale, will be out in the community, visiting with businesses, other non-profits, and anywhere else there are hardworking parents who may be eligible for the childcare subsidy. This relief will allow those parents to focus on work without worrying about the well-being of their children and offer employers the benefit of a more productive and less distracted workforce.
"While these budget items represent major progress, we certainly recognize there are additional challenges facing parents and providers when it comes to the care and education of our young children. We are eager to participate in solution-focused work groups comprised of county officials, community and business leaders, and members of the early childcare and education sector, to address those issues.
"We are grateful to all who participated in the dialogue leading up to the passage of the 2015 budget. We ask the community to keep the issue of quality early care and education as a top priority each day of the year."
About the Child Care Council of Westchester
The Child Care Council of Westchester is a private, nonprofit resource organization that champions the healthy development of children, families and communities by promoting quality early care and education. A unique, “one stop” agency for child care, the Council offers parent referrals, training, information, technical assistance, reports on the industry and public education for parents, childcare programs, governmental organizations and the business community. Since its inception in 1968, the Council has grown to become the premier authority on childcare services throughout Westchester County. The Council recently attained Quality Assurance, establishing it as one of the nation’s leading Child Care Resource and Referral agencies. The national recognition was awarded by Child Care Aware of America.
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