Bill > A01333

This bill establishes the Early Learning Child Care Act, a comprehensive program aimed at addressing child care affordability, accessibility, and quality for families with children under five years old. The bill creates a new payroll tax on employers to fund a statewide child care program, with tax rates varying based on the size of an employer's payroll. The revenue will be used to establish an Early Learning Child Care Fund, which will provide subsidies to families and support child care providers through various grants and initiatives. The program will be overseen by a newly created New York State Child Care Board, which will develop regulations, approve funding, and ensure the program's effective implementation. Key provisions include creating a sliding scale fee system for families based on income (with no co-payments for families under 400% of the poverty line), establishing professional development and training programs for child care workers, providing expansion grants for child care facilities, and creating a student loan repayment assistance program for early childhood educators. The bill also mandates specific quality standards for child care providers, including minimum wage requirements, and establishes a taskforce to study after-school programming and crisis care for children.

Education

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A1333