Infant Leadership Circle/ Policy 

Governor Hochul released her Executive Budget in January. Proposals of interest to NYZTT are listed below on our website. Budget negotiations are underway and advocacy actions are in full swing. The Policy/ILC Committee will keep you abreast of ways to weigh in. At our most recent meeting, we were joined by Lara Kassel from Medicaid Matters and Jessica Klos Shapiro of the Early Care and Learning Council to discuss the federal landscape, which is evolving quickly. We will keep you posted on federal actions that impact young children and their families.

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EARLY CHILDHOOD POLICIES:

Expand Access to Nutrition Programs for Mothers and Children. The Budget will invest $9.5 million to support new enrollees in the State’s Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program to meet the growing need for food and essential services.

Universal School Meals. Provides $340 million, a $160 year-to-year increase, and requires schools that participate in the national school breakfast and lunch program to provide those meals regardless of a family’s income.

Continuing Implementation of the Groundbreaking Medicaid 1115 Waiver Amendment. On January 9, 2024, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services approved a groundbreaking amendment to New York’s Medicaid Section 1115 Demonstration vital to New York’s continuing efforts to build a health care system that benefits all New Yorkers. The Executive Budget continues implementation of this waiver to advance health equity, reduce health disparities, and strengthen access to primary and behavioral health care across the state, including the following major highlights:

Addressing Social Needs to Improve Health Equity and Outcomes. The Executive Budget provides $500 million for screening and navigation for Medicaid members through the new Social Care Networks to a range of social care services, including enhanced benefits for certain populations. These services include housing support, food and nutrition assistance, transportation support, and navigation to other resources for education, employment, interpersonal safety, and more.

Build New Health Planning and Data Transparency Capacity. The Executive Budget includes $125 million to support new health planning and data infrastructure through a new Health Equity Regional Organization (HERO). Investments in the HERO will lay the groundwork for a new statewide data infrastructure that can be used to support the design and development of new policies, interventions, and targeted investments to improve outcomes, reduce health disparities, and help the State develop and evaluate metrics of success for existing and future programs, including extraordinary new investments in health-related social needs services.

Leverage Federal Support to Grow New York’s Health, Behavioral Health, and Social Care Workforce. The Executive Budget includes $694 million for implementation of two workforce programs to support training and education for new workers as well as support career advancement for existing workers through tuition payments and student loan repayment.

Enhance the Empire State Child Credit (for three years). The Executive Budget enhances the State’s child tax credit for three years by increasing the maximum credit from $330 to $1,000 for children under the age of four and $500 for children ages four through sixteen. Furthermore, the Governor’s proposal eliminates the restrictive earned income requirement, allowing low-income New Yorkers to fully benefit from the credit.

Support New Mothers. To combat maternal mortality challenges and support new mothers, the State will work with Baby2Baby to provide maternal health and newborn supply boxes that will include screening tools for postpartum depression and anxiety, mental health information, self-care products, diapers, blankets, and swaddles. Additionally, New York State and Baby2Baby will provide 10 million diapers to low-income families. The FY 2026 Executive Budget includes $8 million to provide postpartum boxes and $1.5 million for diapers.

Establish the Birth Allowance for Beginning Year (BABY) Benefit. In an effort to improve maternal and infant health for the State's most under-served households, the Executive Budget invests $8.5 million, annually, to support an enhanced benefit of $100 per month throughout pregnancy and an additional $1,200 payment at birth for New Yorkers who receive Public Assistance.

Increase Dual Enrollment in SNAP and WIC. To help more families afford their grocery bills and support better health and life outcomes for young children, OTDA, in consultation with DOH, will undertake a data-matching process to identify and contact participants who may be missing out on federally funded benefits. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) recipients will be matched for dual eligibility in both programs, connecting more families to available benefits.

Increase Access to Government Services. The FY 2026 Budget provides $600,000 to install self service kiosks in high-need communities to provide access to public benefits like SNAP, WIC, and child care services at high traffic locations such as community centers, libraries, religious institutions, and bus shelters.

Provide Child Care Construction and Renovation Grants. To facilitate child care providers’ ability to expand enrollment capacity and serve additional children, the FY 2026 Executive Budget provides $100 million in capital grants for child care centers, counties, and municipalities. This funding will expand the availability of child care, including in child care deserts where the need is most pronounced, and will support necessary repairs and renovations at existing programs. In addition, $10 million in federal funds will be used to help family child care programs cover renovations and repairs that are necessary to provide safe, high-quality child care. Existing capital programs have been reserved for child care centers only, and this will ensure that smaller, primarily home-based entities also have access to assistance.

Launch a Child Care Worker Substitute Pool. The reliability of child care is fundamental to parents' ability to go to work, school, or job training programs. The Executive Budget supports a childcare worker substitute pool pilot program, initially for providers serving children who receive childcare assistance. The Executive Budget includes $3 million for this launch.

Create the New York Coalition for Child Care. To formalize the partnership between businesses, unions, and providers, the New York Coalition for Child Care is created. The Executive Budget includes $1 million to support the work of the Coalition.

Child Care Business Navigator Project. Extends funding for another year to all ten REDCs so that employers can identify childcare support for their employees.

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Program. Grants shall be available on a competitive basis based on need and children served. Grants awarded in amounts not to exceed $50,000. Available to libraries, library systems, nonprofits, school districts, and BOCES. $500,000 reapprop through SED.

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Program. $7 million for services and expenses through OCFS.