Two new policies, recently announced by the state government of New York, become relief in the short, medium and long term, for thousands of working class mothers, especially from communities of color.
First, the investment of $ was announced million to support the installation of new child care programs. And second, a law went into effect that exempts disposable diapers for children and adults from taxes, which will make these products more affordable for families living below the poverty line.
From Upper Manhattan, classified as one of the big child care “deserts” in the Big Apple, Governor Kathy Hochul announced the transfer of funds to 300 new child care providers. This initiative will be funded through the American Bailout Act approved by President Joe Biden.
Total will be created 12, new spaces throughout New York, 3,000 of them will be installed in the Big Apple, including 592 for babies and 500 Spaces available during “non-traditional” hours, which will make life easier for night-time workers.
The new programs will be located in locations classified as “neglected”.
The funds that have already begun to be transferred will serve why entrepreneurs to be vices of childcare centers or day care centers, develop their programs, cover initial operating costs, recruit, train and retain staff.
“We need moms to have the opportunity to go back to work, parents, caregivers, they have a crisis of affordability. We also have a crisis of availability of day care centers, because many have closed”, indicated the state president.
For this financing program, a child care desert is defined as a census tract where there are three or more children under the age of five, without an available care space.
According to this criterion, more than 60 percent of New York State is considered a child care desert.
“In many cases, children stay home, unsupervised or with an older sibling. It’s just frustrating that thousands of our women of color have no choice. They are the ones who drive our buses or clean our hotel rooms. They simply put this city and the state to work,” Hochul said.
2 million New Yorkers without options
Based on data shared by the state government, more than 2,000 child care programs closed since the start of the pandemic , which caused the loss of 07,000 spaces available for children.
Almost two years since the public health crisis caused by COVID-16, the labor force has not been able to recover close to two million New York workers, basically because they have no one to leave their children with.
The approved budget for the fiscal year 2023 includes an investment to expand access to child care and help spur New York State’s continued economic recovery.
Includes unprecedented funding of $7 billion over four years, including raising the income eligibility threshold for child care assistance since August 2022, to the 300 percent of the federal poverty level ($55,250 for a family of four), expanding these programs to more than half of New York State residents with young children.
For his part, the Dominican congressman, representative of parts of Upper Manhattan, Adriano Espaillat said that families in child care deserts, as is the case in most neighborhoods like Washington Heights and Inwood, have been left far behind. Few options for safe, quality child care.
“We cannot recover if we leave child care providers behind, and our families need your support now more than ever. We are fighting hard in Washington to guarantee that all parents have access to services of this type in an affordable and convenient way”, Espaillat stressed.
!With inflation everything is worse!
Dominican grandmother Andrea Arias, now with three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, comments that any help given to working-class families so that “women can carry out their work calmer, it is the best program that this and any government can offer”.
“Imagine those thousands of mothers who don’t count on us grandmothers, to give them a hand. !It’s terrible! In a private center thousands of dollars go away in a month. That is why you see that many decide to leave their jobs. Because what they earn would go only to nurseries. And now with this inflation, everything is worse”, highlights Andrea.
The governor, when presenting this financing program, put on the table that a typical New York family has to spend the 40% of your childcare income for 2 children.
Cheaper diapers for New Yorkers
In addition, the governor highlighted the signing and implementation of the contemplated in the legislation (S.2023A/A .2022A) which will help diapers be more affordable. Now these products for both adults and children, including disposables, are exempt from all sales and use taxes.
It is noteworthy that diapers are often the largest expense for families caring for children and the elderly.
Although an existing law already exempts these four percent state sales tax diapers, there are several counties and jurisdictions that do not provide a local exemption.
This bill will ensure that diapers throughout the state geography follow the tax exemption.
The hope is that this tax relief will help ease the burden of families in the face of rising inflation and costs.
According to the National Network of Diaper Banks, one in three families in the country struggles with the need for diapers. Babies require up to diapers by day, which means a cost of $70 to $80 per month.
Likewise, state senator Jamaal Bailey, one of the promoters of the ‘Diaper Law’, interprets it as financial aid that will allow thousands of parents “have peace of mind”, knowing that their children will have access to clean diapers.
“The lack of affordable child care is a social and economic justice problem that disproportionately affects women of color and communities in large child care deserts like the Bronx,” Bailey insisted.
Poor women with few options:
- 34% of women with children between 25 Y 54 New York years had in 2021 complications in finding employment based on a report by the Citizens Committee for Children.
- 55% reported that even if they find a job option, they cannot take it, because the costs of a nursery or child care would be eaten up your income.
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- 37% of mothers from communities of color had obstacles completing their t payment All bills during the toughest months of the pandemic.
- 29% of the mothers consulted had to cut hours at work.
- 16% was forced to leave their jobs in order to take care of their children.
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You must know:
- This program is being administered by the Office of Children and Child Services s to New York State Families (OCFS)
- Anyone can review the Child Care Desert Map to discern if they live in one of these locations based on census data.
000% decided not to look for work options due to the limitation of not having someone to take care of their children