About the Task Force
The relaunched New York State Child Care Availability Task Force held its first meeting on Monday, March 13, 2023. The meeting was also broadcast online.
The Child Care Availability Task Force was first convened in December 2018 and issued its final report in 2021. The State’s social services law was amended to reconvene the task force. The current task force is chaired by Suzanne Miles-Gustave, acting commissioner of the New York State Office of Children and Family Services, and Roberta Reardon, commissioner of the Department of Labor. The new task force is charged with:
- Evaluating the need for and availability of child care throughout the state.
- Examining the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on child care.
- Advising the state in developing a framework leading to a phased-in rollout of universal child care.
- Recommending ways to address the child care workforce crisis.
- Assessing the implementation of policies supported by federally funded programs through various stimulus packages.
The task force is comprised of representatives from the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, Council on Children and Families, Department of Taxation and Finance, Regional Economic Development Council, State University of New York, City University of New York, State Education Department, as well as the child care providers and unions, the advocacy groups and stakeholders, the business community and local departments of social services.
Relaunch Legislation
The Child Care Availability Task Force was relaunched under Social Services Law § 390-k § 390-k. The taskforce is charged with:
- Examining the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on child care in New York State.
- Advising the state in developing an implementation framework leading to a phased-in rollout of universal child care using existing state and federal resources.
- Recommending potential solutions, partnerships, or other ways to address chronic child care workforce issues and other concerns identified in the course of the examination required by this subdivision.
- Assessing the implementation of policies supported by federally funded programs through various stimulus packages.
- Anything else the taskforce deems necessary.
Previous Final Report
The original Task Force produced a 50 page report outlining several recommendations that Governor Kathy Hochul has made a chief point of emphasis for her administration:
- Make Child Care More Affordable
- Provide More Equitable Access to Child Care
- Ensure Child Care Remains High-Quality
- Coordinate Systems to Streamline Services and Improve Collaboration