Affordable Child Care

But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. (Luke 18: 16)
 
Rochester’s children are in a state of crisis: Rochester has the 7th highest child poverty rate in the nation, and 24% of Monroe County’s children live in poverty. We have more poorly performing schools than any other district in New York State. Too many children start kindergarten already behind. Our kids need our prayers, and they need our voices.
 
One of the best ways to help children overcome poverty is to ensure that they receive good, quality child care but, unfortunately, quality child care costs more than what many families can afford. The average cost of center-based care for an infant in New York State is more than $1,100 per month.  As a result many children from low-income working families too often are placed in poor-quality child care settings because their parents can’t afford anything better. 
 
Child care subsidies, paid for with federal, state and local tax dollars, enable parents to choose an accredited child care provider.  But in Monroe County, child care subsidies for working families currently benefit only 40% of eligible families. Since 2001 child care subsidy slots have been reduced from 13,950 to 7,415. 

Learn more about The Children's Agenda