New York City has halted enrollment for low-income families in a significant child care voucher program due to a funding shortfall in the state budget. With soaring costs driven by high enrollment and increased voucher values for child care, officials are facing a budget deficit approaching a billion dollars. Despite a proposal from Governor Hochul for $350 million in funding contingent on city matching, city officials have rejected it, leading to immediate cutbacks and leaving thousands of families in need without support.
Gov. Kathy Hochul's initial budget proposal included no funding increase for the program, prompting city officials to warn they would have to kick thousands of families a month off the program.
'Sadly, the state's proposed budget provides insufficient funding for its own program, so we are unable to enroll any new eligible applicants seeking such vouchers beginning today,' First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro told reporters on Monday.
Costs for the state-funded Child Care Assistance Program are soaring in the five boroughs, driven by booming enrollment and an increase in the value of the voucher to meet the rising costs of child care.
Given that the budget documents haven't yet been published, city officials hope there might be room for some changes. 'There is still time,' Mastro said.
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