On July 19, Governor Kathy Hochul announced the launch of ny.gov/childcare – a digital portal to help make free or low-cost child care more accessible to eligible families statewide through New York State’s Child Care Assistance Program.
“We’re making New York more affordable and strengthening our economy by delivering free and low-cost child care to more families statewide, and making it easier for families to apply for this funding online,” said Governor Hochul. “As the first mom governor of New York, I understand the challenges of child care firsthand and I look forward to seeing this transformative program reach more parents and kids across our state.”
The state’s new digital portal makes it easier for families statewide to apply for Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), which covers at least 90 percent of weekly market rate child care costs for most eligible families. That means most eligible families of four will pay no more than $15 per week – saving families thousands of dollars in annual child care costs.
CCAP is already providing free or low-cost child care to approximately 100,000 families statewide. However, state officials estimate that hundreds of thousands more families statewide are likely eligible for CCAP and Governor Hochul encourages New Yorkers to apply.
CCAP is a state program that helps working families across New York pay for child care. While eligibility is based on multiple factors including income and family size, many families may qualify for CCAP if their household income is at or below 85 percent of the State Median Income. Currently, 85 percent of the State Median Income for a family of four is approximately $108,000.
Previously, only families in New York City and Schenectady were able to apply for CCAP online, while most other families across the state had to apply by filling out a paper form. The launch of the state’s new digital portal ensures that families statewide can easily find out if they are eligible, apply online and access free or low-cost child care if eligible. This will help CCAP reach as many families as possible among the hundreds of thousands of families who may be eligible across the state.
The new digital portal is overseen by the New York Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS). Families can use an online tool on that page to pre-screen for eligibility and then immediately apply for child care assistance, removing any redundant processes and unnecessary reporting requirements placed on families.
Visit http://ny.gov/childcare for details and to apply.
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