Help us Thank Governor Cuomo!

We are pleased to share that Governor Cuomo maintained New York State’s investment in QUALITYstarsNY in his proposed Executive Budget for fiscal year 2021-2022 (FY 2022). During a year when New York is grappling with a budget deficit and significant strain on state services and economic sectors resulting from the COVID-19 crisis, we are sincerely grateful to the Governor for recognizing the importance of protecting the quality of our early childhood system by funding QUALITYstarsNY.

We hope you’ll join us in thanking the Governor for his continued leadership on behalf of our youngest learning and their families.

Investing in New York’s Early Childhood System is Critical for Recovery

If the proposed $5 million funding for QUALITYstarsNY is maintained in the final NYS Budget for FY 2022, we will use this funding to continue to support our nearly 900 participating early childhood programs across the state, including helping them overcome the unprecedented challenges presented by the pandemic.

New York’s early childhood programs continue to operate under enormous stress. Many programs and providers have been pushed to the limit financially after experiencing a decrease in enrollment and/or temporary closure due to COVID-19. Additionally, programs have been working tirelessly to adapt their policies and classroom environments to meet the new emergency health requirements while maintaining high quality practices for children and families. Child care is essential to New York’s economic recovery so that parents can return to the workplace—and early childhood programs are relying more than ever on the comprehensive support provided by QUALITYstarsNY as New York State’s Quality Rating & Improvement System.

FY22 Executive Budget Moves to NYS Legislature

While this is a significant step in securing the critical funding QUALITYstarsNY needs to continue our work, the proposed budget is now up for debate in the New York State Senate and Assembly. Help spread the word to state lawmakers this month about the importance of investing in high quality early childhood education to help ensure the $5 million proposed funding for QUALITYstarsNY remains in the final FY 2022 budget. The state legislature will pass the final budget in late March/early April.