ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The state budget passed in May includes increased investments in childcare and youth development programs. About 2.5% of the state budget, or $6.3 billion, is allocated to children and family services.
Commissioner Damia Harris-Madden from the Office of Children and Family Services discussed the budget during a presentation at the Child Advocacy Center of Greater Rochester on Wednesday. Key highlights included universal school meals providing free breakfast and lunch for K-12 students, increased funding for the Child Care Assistance Program, and support for child advocacy centers.
Several local non-profit representatives were present in the audience. One of them spoke to News10NBC about the importance of government investment into this sector.
“In addition to the significant government investment, we want to make sure the philanthropic sector is investing,” said Brian Lewis, executive director of ROC the Future Alliance. “We want to make sure that individuals know that they can make investments in organizations like ROC the Future and nonprofits locally here in Rochester and keep our sector vibrant and thriving. And so it is really important the government set the tone and establish that kind of lead.”
A Monroe County CPS worker explained what kind of impact these investments make in her line of work. Increased funding for childcare services, for example, allows parents to use that time to go back to school or seek mental health treatment.
While the state increased funding for family services this year, Commissioner Harris-Madden noted it may not continue in the future. Recent federal budget cuts to services like Medicaid and SNAP may impact state budgets going forward.
“Looking prospectively, state government is tightening its belt,” said Harris-Madden. “We’re looking always but particularly now to ensure that the state is protected and that those vital services are in place in terms of the future. Unfortunately, I really cannot speak to what you’ve probably read about billions of dollars that will likely be extracted from our budgets. There will be some readjusting as we go forward.”
For a full breakdown of the Office of Children and Family Services major programs and budget funding this year click here.
AI assisted with the formatting of this story. Click here to see how WHEC News10NBC uses AI.
Universal school meals, increased childcare funding among highlights of New York’s $6.3 billion investment in children and families WHEC.com.
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