Hochul: Multimillion-dollar plan will expand child care centers on SUNY campuses

A new multimillion-dollar initiative has been launched to expand and create high-quality child care centers across State University of New York campuses, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Friday.

As part of the initiative, $4.5 million in federal and state funding will be distributed to support current child care centers at SUNY campuses — with a focus on areas where few child care facilities exist.

Among the Long Island schools that will receive that funding are Stony Brook University, Nassau Community College, Farmingdale State College and Suffolk County Community College.

The initiative will also feature a program to train new child care professionals and the development of a long-term plan to eliminate child care deserts across SUNY, which Hochul listed as one of her State of the State goals. Hochul’s executive budget will have $10.8 million to support creating additional child care centers on SUNY campuses.

"Child care services are a critical part of our economic recovery, providing parents much-needed support as they pursue an education or join the workforce," Hochul said.

SUNY served 1,200 student parents during the 2020-21 academic year, with more than 4,000 child care spots across the 46 SUNY campuses that have a child care center on-site, according to Hochul’s office. Roughly 18 more centers are needed to fully cover all 64 of SUNY's campuses statewide.