Childcare Advocates Plead for More County Funding in 2015
Calls for increases in childcare funding dominated the conversation at last week’s public hearing on the 2015 county budget in Somers.
Parents and childcare providers called on the Board of Legislator to increase Title XX subsidy funding by $1 million and hike reimbursements to childcare facilities. They also pleaded for the parent contribution to be reduced from 27 to 15 percent.
“For every single family we can help, this funding makes a huge difference in the lives of those families. But we’re reaching the point now where, even with the subsidy, it’s becoming out of reach,” said Dawn Meyerski, program director at Mount Kisco Child Care Center.
Meyerski said that a 27 percent parent share is too high and that many parents need to rely on additional scholarships provided by childcare centers and nonprofit organizations to afford care for their children.
Mistie Eltrich, president of the Child Care Council of Westchester, noted the cost of childcare is highest in Westchester, costing about $20,000 per year for an infant compared to $14,000 in Rockland and $16,000 is Nassau. Her organization provides scholarships to more than 40 families in need annually, but with the original donor now deceased, that program will end in June, making an increase in county funding more critical.
Many parents who spoke during the hour-long hearing said that because of the high cost of childcare, they are forced to make difficult choices. Some noted that with the 27percent contribution rate, payments often exceed their rent or mortgage. In addition, many fear that if the cost isn’t lowered, they will be forced to move away or opt for subpar childcare options.
Tarrytown resident Maciel Burgos, a mother of a five-year-old who attends the Ossining Children’s Center and a seven-month -old who attends Mount Kisco Child Care Center, said the programs have greatly benefitted her family. However, she is going into debt making payments and a lower parent contribution would help keep her children in the program.
“I don’t want to lose this. I don’t want to be giving my child to someone that’s just going to put my child in front of the TV,” Burgos said. “I’ve been working since I was 14 years old; I never have asked for help except for now, which I really do need. I don’t want to be a statistic, I don’t want to be on welfare and I don’t want to stay at home.”
Last year, the county allocated $1.4 million to expand Title XX subsidies to allow more qualified families to benefit; however, the funding is slated to be cut in half for the 2015 budget because those funds remain largely unused.
Howard Milbert, executive director of the Ossining Children’s Center and the co-president of the Westchester Early Childhood Directors Association, explained that the funds were unused because of late enrollment and failure to publicize the subsidy’s availability.
“It’s true they were unused, but to say that they were unneeded is a misinterpretation,” Milbert said.
Many who spoke at the Nov. 25 hearing at Somers High School noted that children who are able to attend proper day-care facilities have an advantage when they start kindergarten. They noted that county funding for childcare services is an investment in the future, enabling children to get a good start in their education, which helps them as they get older.
“Because of the high cost of quality childcare, some children do not receive the tools they need to succeed in school and beyond in the rest of their lives, said Katherine Loda, a member of the Mount Kisco Child Care Center’s board of directors. “Yet those children are our future leaders and no one benefits if half of the future leaders do not receive the tools that they need to succeed in life.”
While funding for day-care was the main focus of those attending the hearing, representatives from other organizations also called for increased funding. Several asked for a cost-of-living adjustment for nonprofit organizations.
Although the 2015 budget calls for a 3 percent increase in funding to nonprofits, Joanne Mongelli, deputy director of ArtsWestchester, noted her organization’s funding would still be $216,000 less than what it received in 2011.
ArtsWestchester Board of Directors Vice President Bob Roth noted that the funding reduction over the past three years has forced program cuts, particularly for special needs residents. ArtsWestchester was able to fund 11 special needs projects in 2012 compared to two in 2013 and 2014, he said.
Tammy Evans, a representative from Open Door Family Medical Center, with five locations in Westchester, asked that the county restore $1.5 million in funding for federally qualified health centers. Prior to the termination of its contract with the county in 2013, Open Door received more than $500,000 annually to fund screenings for diseases, immunizations and treatment of communicable diseases.
Evans noted that Open Door currently serves 40,000 uninsured Westchester residents and is more accessible than the two county-operated health clinics, which are open fewer days and have shorter hours.
The third and final budget hearing is scheduled for this Thursday, Dec. 4 at the county building in White Plains. The budget is required to be adopted by Dec. 27.
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