Pandemic Response

Parents of infants and toddlers across New York State have experienced intense financial insecurity during the coronavirus pandemic, with the crisis exacerbating pre-existing inequities among communities of color and families from low-income backgrounds. At the same time, child care providers had to close their doors due to under-enrollment and lack of financial support. Our polling throughout the pandemic reveals inequities facing families that have been exacerbated throughout the pandemic.

Supporting Children and Families in Accessing Federal Tax Benefits in the Recent American Rescue Plan

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) includes important changes to tax credits that support families with infants and toddlers, and have the potential to significantly reduce child poverty and provide critical support to New York families when they need it most. We must ensure all New York families – including those not accustomed to filing taxes because they do not owe taxes – file the appropriate tax documents– even if they do not owe federal income tax. The resource below from spring 2021 offers employers and direct service organizations critical information they can share with employees, partners, and community groups about who qualifies for the tax credits, how much the tax credit is for, and how families can work to ensure they receive their monthly credit payments in a timely manner.

The Coronavirus Crisis: The Ongoing Toll on Families with Infants and Toddlers

Nearly a year into the pandemic, the coronavirus crisis continues to be incredibly disruptive for New York families with infants and toddlers, with more than four in five (83%) parents reporting higher levels of stress than usual and almost nine in ten (85%) worried that their child’s social, emotional, and cognitive development will suffer because of the crisis.

The Economic Impact of Inadequate Access to Affordable Quality Child Care for Infants and Toddlers

The results of our statewide survey of business leaders on the urgent need for child care investment as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

Reopening Child Care

As New York moves forward with its strategy to re–open, the Raising NY coalition is calling on state leaders to develop and implement a comprehensive and inclusive plan to offer affordable, safe, high-quality child care during this period, rebuilding the child care system so that it is stronger and more equitable than before the pandemic.

Reopening Child Care

As New York moves forward with its strategy to re–open, the Raising NY coalition is calling on state leaders to develop and implement a comprehensive and inclusive plan to offer affordable, safe, high-quality child care during this period, rebuilding the child care system so that it is stronger and more equitable than before the pandemic.

Addressing New York’s Child Care

At a moment when its survival is essential to the state’s economic reopening and recovery, New York’s child care system is facing an unprecedented crisis.

Watch the Raising NY Press Conference

Parents of infants and toddlers across New York State are experiencing intense financial insecurity during the coronavirus pandemic, with one in three (34%) indicating in our statewide poll that they are skipping or reducing meals and one in ten (11%) saying they are skipping or reducing meals for their children. Watch the press conference to learn more.