NY Child Services Commissioner Makes Final Push for Budget in Sullivan County

New York’s Office of Children and Family Services Commissioner DaMia Harris-Madden visited Sullivan County on Tuesday to detail Governor Kathy Hochul’s budget investments in child care.

Hochul has made child care a cornerstone of this year’s state budget with plans to invest $4.5 billion for child care and pre-K services statewide. That includes an additional $1.2 billion for the state’s child care assistance program, which has been closed in Sullivan County for more than eight months.

READ: Rural Families Still Without Child Care Assistance Months Later, Despite Hochul’s Child Care Push

The state budget is due on April 1, but lawmakers passed a one-week budget extension on Tuesday so state workers can get paid on time. Harris-Madden outlined the budget the same day state lawmakers passed a budget extension.

The state commissioner presented the budget outside the Sullivan County Head Start building in Woodbourne to a crowd of local childcare providers and lawmakers, including Sullivan County Legislature Chair Nadia Rajsz and Legislator Luis Alvarez. The briefing detailed Hochul’s plans to deliver affordable child care to an additional 100,000 children, pilot child care programs in Dutchess, Broome, and Monroe counties, and expand the state’s Child Tax Credit.

Sullivan County is one of three counties in the state whose child care assistance program has grown more than 500 percent from 2021 to 2025. “We’re excited because we’ve seen a tremendous growth in the amount of children that have been able to be served thanks to the Governor investing in Sullivan County but also throughout New York state,” said Harris-Madden.

In 2023, Hochul significantly expanded who’s eligible for child care assistance – but state funding hasn’t been enough to keep up with demand.

Sullivan County Health & Human Services Commissioner John Liddle shares remarks in Woodbourne, New York on March 31 (Photo Credit: Kimberly Izar)

Sullivan County Health & Human Services Commissioner John Liddle says that additional investments are needed to support the high costs of child care facing New York families. He did not share when Sullivan County plans to reopen its child care assistance program but says he’s hopeful about what the increased investments could mean for families.

“No matter your views on the state of the American family in the year 2026, our reality is that for most couples, one paycheck is simply not enough to cover the rent, the grocery bills, the medical bills, the car payments, and of course, childcare,” said Liddle.

Image: New York’s Office of Children and Family Services Commissioner DaMia Harris-Madden visited Sullivan County’s RECAP program on March 31 (Photo Credit: Kimberly Izar)