On March 11, Assemblyman Josh Jensen (R,C-Greece) joined his colleagues in the Assembly Minority Conference to unveil a common-sense legislative package that would address issues in New York’s child care system.
Emphasizing the need for accessibility and flexibility, Jensen introduced legislation that would look to create a model for offering childcare during non-traditional hours (A.9126). With this legislation, New York would look to support providers and families with options for children during nontraditional hours programs. These programs would benefit parents who work a job outside traditional work hours, be it night shifts or on weekends. With more jobs leaving the traditional nine-to-five framework, these programs will give greater flexibility and more peace of mind to working parents.
Additionally, Jensen has introduced (A.9128) that would work to expand universal pre-kindergarten options for school districts through grants for facilities and encouraging greater collaborations with providers to increase capacity. This would ensure that more children have access to the state educational system and help them to build a stronger foundation for lifelong learning.
“The future of our young generation, their education and their safety are critically important and should be a priority for our colleagues on both sides of the aisle,” said Jensen. “As policymakers, we must look for solutions that address the systemic issues being faced by families in accessing child care and in the delivery of educational services for our youngest citizens.”
The Assembly Republican Conference is proposing a $1 billion investment in our childcare system to attack the ever-increasing child poverty rate and have proposed additional legislation such as, removing existing laws and regulations that hinder the establishment of new child care providers (A.8969), and offering a partial exemption from real property taxes, aiming to incentivize local municipalities to actively promote the creation and expansion of child care centers (A.8570).
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