SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — Starting June 1, Onondaga County will temporarily stop accepting new applications for child care assistance in response to recent reports from the Department of Social Services-Economic Security, which revealed its funding is running out.
In a letter addressed to child care providers and community stakeholders, DSS Commissioner Sarah Merrick wrote, “We realize closing the application process will be devastating for both working families and providers.”
The program helps low-income families afford care, allowing parents to work, attend school, or receive job training. However, for the first time in years, the program will enter a waitlist phase due to what the county calls “unprecedented demand and limited resources.”…