The Birth to Three Alliance is proud to be part of the new initiative Stand Up for Child Care Adirondacks. Launched January 2021, this child care advocacy group is working to bring attention to the challenges in the North Country child care industry, especially those that have been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our partners include Adirondack Community Action Programs, Child Care Coordinating Council of the North Country, North Country Community College, North Country Workforce Development Board, Workforce Development Institute, and YMCA of Plattsburgh and Malone.
Stand Up for Child Care Adirondacks has a three-pronged purpose: support families, support child care programs, and support the profession. Recommendations for each were unveiled at a September 2020 virtual roundtable with advocates, industry professionals, and elected officials. The most urgent request is to ask our elected officials to commit $1.5 million of the 2021 state budget to support facilitated enrollment to help offset the costs of child care in our communities. We are also advocating for CARES money to support providers without hassle, and direct resources toward helping to support existing programs and facilitate expansion and recruitment of new providers.
We know child care and economic development go hand-in-hand. Our conversations with elected officials and Governor Cuomo's State of the State commitment to designate $40 million to child care have given us hope. This is a critical time to advocate for support for Clinton, Essex, and Franklin counties. Please consider signing onto our advocacy letter and sharing our video with your community to increase awareness of the child care crisis we find ourselves in.
