Child care scholarships are available
April 24, 2020
New York State is using a portion of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) funds to provide child care to income eligible essential workers at no cost. Essential workers who must work outside of the home and who are using a regulated child care provider will receive a scholarship for the cost of care as long as the funds to support it are available. All licensed and regulated providers who are caring for essential workers are able to participate in this new program.
In order to qualify for the scholarship, families must have an adjusted gross income at or below 300% of the federal poverty level. For a family of four that equals an annual income of $78,600.
Parents are asked to complete the following application for the CARES Child Care Scholarship via the link below. It informs parents that the application will be considered complete once the online application is finished AND the required supplemental documentation is submitted to Brightside Up, the Childcare Resource and Referral Agency (CCRA) for Albany, Fulton, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady counties.
For parents who currently receive a subsidy from their local DSS to pay for child care, this scholarship can cover the parent co-pay. Parents should apply for the CARES Act Scholarship, and then contact their local Department of Social Services to get a letter stating their current co-pay. Please address any questions to Tricia Howland at thowland@brightsideup.org.
Click here for the COVID-19 CARES Child Care Scholarship Application
Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (CCRRs) provide services to parents and day care providers in every county of New York State.
If you are looking for child care, the CCRR in your county is a great place to start. They will ask you about the kind of care you are looking for, the ages of your children, the hours of care you need and other specifics such as any special needs your child might have. Based on that information, they will be able to give you a list of providers that most closely meet your needs.
Remember, though, this list is just a starting point – you will need to contact the provider to see if they have space for your child and you will want to visit the child care provider you select to make sure for yourself that this is the right match for you. The Office of Children and Family Services has a helpful brochure that you can read right on this web site (As you think about child care…) and a video on selecting quality child care. All CCRRs have a copy of this video, as do local departments of social services, and regional child care offices.
If you are a child care provider, or are thinking about becoming a child care provider, the CCRR can be an important resource for you as well. They provide technical assistance and training. If you are interested in providing family day care, the CCRR may also be able to provide you with start-up funding. Many CCRRs also maintain lending libraries of toys and equipment. There are 34 CCRRs available in New York State. Here is the one serving our area:
Brightside Up / Capital District Child Care Coordinating Council, Inc.
Ms. Abbe Kovacik, Executive Director
91 Broadway
Menands, NY 12204
Phone: (518) 426-7181, ext. 323
Fax: (518) 426-9649
Email: akovacik@cdcccc.org
Website: http://www.cdcccc.org/
March updates:
Y providing child care for infants, toddlers, preschoolers
The Capital District YMCA is providing child care for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers at their four Early Learning Centers:
Clifton Park
KidzLodge Early Learning Center
47 Clifton Country Road, Clifton Park, NY 12065
(518) 881-0055
Duanesburg
Early Learning Center
185 Mott Rd, Duanesburg, NY 12056
(518) 356-6400
Glenville
Learning Ladder Early Learning Center
547 Saratoga Road, Glenville, NY 12302
(518) 360-8090
Scotia
Thelma P. Lally Early Learning Center
204 S. Ten Broeck Street, Scotia, NY 12302
(518) 374-4914
Updated March 25, 2020
Parent need for child care survey
If you are a parent or caregiver who needs child care, please complete this New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) parent need for child care survey.
Based on the information you provide about your job, employer, number of children, and financial need, OCFS may be able to help you find the child care program you need. It may be a challenge to find child care due to COVID-19-related program closures. However, the staff at OCFS are trying their best to support families to find the high-quality child care that they need.
In addition, the OCFS website has several resources available.
Here is a helpful local resource
If you are looking for child care, the Child Care Resource and Referral Agency (CCRR) is a great place to start. They will ask you about the kind of care you are looking for, the ages of your children, the hours of care you need and other specifics such as any special needs your child might have. Based on that information, they will be able to give you a list of providers that most closely meet your needs.
Please contact:
Brightside Up (formally Capital District Child Care Coordinating Council, Inc.)
Ms. Abbe Kovacik, Executive Director
91 Broadway
Menands, NY 12204
Phone: (518) 426-7181, ext. 323
Fax: (518) 426-9649
Email: akovacik@cdcccc.org
Website: http://www.cdcccc.org/
Update March 23, 2020: Y expands child care for essential workers
The Capital District YMCA announced on March 23 that they have expanded their child care efforts, in addition to providing such services for emergency workers, to support Gov. Cuomo’s updated list of essential workers.
For purposes of Executive Order 202.6, “Essential Business,” means:
1. Essential health care operations, including:
- research and laboratory services
- hospitals
- walk-in-care health facilities
- emergency veterinary and livestock services
- medical wholesale and distribution
- home health care workers or aides for the elderly
- doctor and emergency dental
- nursing homes, or residential health care facilities or congregate care facilities
- medical supplies and equipment manufacturers and providers
2. Essential infrastructure, including:
- utilities including power generation, fuel supply and transmission
- public water and wastewater
- telecommunications and data centers
- airports/airlines
- transportation infrastructure such as bus, rail, or for-hire vehicles, garages
- hotels, and places of accommodation
3. Essential manufacturing, including:
- food processing, manufacturing agents, including all foods and beverages
- chemicals
- medical equipment/instruments
- pharmaceuticals
- sanitary products
- telecommunications
- microelectronics/semi-conductor
- agriculture/farms
- household paper products
4. Essential retail, including:
- grocery stores including all food and beverage stores
- pharmacies
- convenience stores
- farmer’s markets
- gas stations
- restaurants/bars (but only for take-out/delivery)
- hardware and building material stores
5. Essential services, including:
- trash and recycling collection, processing and disposal
- mail and shipping services
- laundromats
- building cleaning and maintenance
- child care services
- auto repair
- warehouse/distribution and fulfillment
- funeral homes, crematoriums and cemeteries
- storage for essential businesses
- animal shelters
6. News media
7. Financial institutions, including:
- banks
- insurance
- payroll
- accounting
- services related to financial markets
8. Providers of basic necessities to economically disadvantaged populations, including:
- homeless shelters and congregate care facilities
- food banks
- human services providers whose function includes: the direct care of patients in state-licensed or funded voluntary programs; the care, protection, custody and oversight of individuals both in the community and in state-licensed residential facilities; those operating community shelters, and other critical human services agencies providing direct care or support
9. Construction, including:
- skilled trades such as electricians, plumbers
- other related construction firms and professionals for essential infrastructure or for emergency repair and safety purposes
10. Defense:
- defense and national security-related operations supporting the U.S. government or a contractor to the US government
11. Essential services necessary to maintain the safety, sanitation and essential operations of residences or other essential businesses, including:
- law enforcement
- fire prevention and response
- building code enforcement
- security
- emergency management and response
- building cleaners or janitors
- general maintenance whether employed by the entity directly or a vendor
- automotive repair
- disinfection
12. Vendors that provide essential services or products, including logistics and technology support, child care and services:
- logistics
- technology support for online services
- child care programs and services
- government owned or leased buildings
- essential government services
Update March 20: Child care for emergency workers
As part of the COVID-19 response effort, the superintendents and school districts of the Capital Region BOCES are working with the Capital District YMCA to bring child care resources to the families of emergency personnel in local communities.
Starting Monday, March 23, 2020, YMCA branch locations throughout the Capital Region will be offering school-age child care for emergency personnel (physicians, nurses, EMTs, etc.). This includes the Duanesburg Y.
DCS is joining with local school leaders in working with the YMCA and other child care providers to bring additional child care options for emergency personnel to their school communities.
For enrollment information in the YMCA school-age programs, please visit www.CDYMCA.org/EmergencyChildcare/ or call (518) 869-3500.
Families needing child care resources for non-school-age children (birth to age five) can contact A Childs Place at Unity House at http://achildsplace.unityhouseny.org/ or (518) 271-6777.
Additional child care resources in the Capital Region can also be found by contacting BrightsideUp (formerly the Capital District Child Care Council) at https://www.brightsideup.org/find-child-care or (518) 426-7181.