ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A local nonprofit has a new plan aiming to make child care universal and affordable. The Children’s Agenda, based in Rochester, has proposed a roadmap that includes two major funding bridges, each worth $75 million.
The logistics
The first bridge ensures that in towns or cities where eight out of 10 children are eligible for child care assistance, every child becomes eligible. This requires families to fill out a single form to prove their address. Rochester is included in the initiative.
The second bridge caps out-of-pocket child care costs at $100 a week for families in areas that don’t qualify for universal assistance. The state would cover the remaining costs. This is being tested in three to four communities.
“If every single slot was filled we could serve about 28% of our children who qualify based on age,” said Pete Nabozny, director of policy at The Children’s Agenda during a press conference on Monday…