Governor Hochul: “We put $6 billion toward helping parents and providers give to our kids what they deserve. We put that money on the table ... So, starting in October, under my direction, that number will have gone from $53,000 up to $93,000. So, we're going to capture 400,000 more children that'll be eligible for subsidized child care.”
Hochul: “When I come here and see that there are people who care so deeply about our children to give them that first start – and what a difference it's made. I'm telling you right now, every child who walks through this door is going to have a better shot at succeeding in life than the kids who don't. But we need to make places like this more available everywhere. So, I'm going to hold you up as the model. You are the model.”
Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul announced the opening of the Bridgehampton Child Care & Recreational Center’s new $3.3 million facility in the Town of Southampton, Long Island. Situated on six acres donated to create BHCCRC in the early 1950s, the state-of-the-art, 7,828-square-foot building marks a significant milestone in expanding vital services and serving lower-income working families living on Long Island’s East End. With a focus on affordable child care, enriching summer programs, and diverse recreational activities, BHCCRC empowers families and children while fostering social development.
VIDEO of the event is available on YouTube here and in TV quality (h.264, mp4) format here.
AUDIO of the event is available here.
PHOTOS of the event are available on the Governor's Flickr page.
A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:
Good morning. The day has finally arrived. We have been waiting for this because we know that child care is not a luxury, child care is a necessity. And that's for our families, our moms, our parents, our economy, and for the health of our state. So, I feel we've come full circle.
Bonnie said, “You actually came when you stood here in October 2020 during the pandemic. And we all had masks on with your greatest Assemblymember, Fred Thiele was here, and Bridget Fleming was here, and your supervisor – everybody was here. We all had masks.” So, I want to prove that really was us behind those masks. Okay, but that was us. And I said I will come back for the ribbon cutting.
And what you did to accomplish this beautiful building, opened up to the children who live in beautiful East End, was nothing short of extraordinary in the throes of a pandemic, supply chain challenges, worker shortages, all the things you had to overcome, and yet you persevered. And this facility has been here for over 70 years, serving this community. And as we know, the birth of this facility came out of tragedy. The story of two children left unattended while their parents were working out in the fields, and the community came together and said, “These children should not be left alone. They need a place to support them and nurture them.” And there's been that spirit of giving and that philosophy that has brought us all the way here today. In 2022, we cut the ribbon on the Bridgehampton child care facility.
And I'll tell you, this is important to me. Some have taken a note. First woman Governor, but I'm also the first mother Governor. And as of 16 months ago, the first grandmother, but we’ll just stop at mother because I know the stresses on our families. I had the same stress on me – young couple starting out. I'd worked for Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan and loved the job, good government salary. You know what I'm talking about? My husband who's joined us here today, and you have your first First Gentleman as well. Recognize Bill Hochul. He also found his calling working for the Department of Justice as a federal prosecutor working on homicides in our nation's capital, so two government salaries, which is fine. We did fine. But all of a sudden, we couldn't find child care when our baby Billy came along. So, all of a sudden, I'm now out of the workforce, and we went from modest down to zero.
So, it was tough. I remember praying for the day, these kids, and I loved them when they were little, but someday, when we don't have to spend most of our salary on diapers and formula, we're going to feel rich. And I didn't know that they would out be growing those little sneakers every couple of months and the clothes and the backpacks and all the other costs. I just needed to get out of diapers and formula. And I didn't have child care. I would've loved to continue working with Senator Moynihan. In fact, when I told him I would not be able to come back after four months and after searching for child care, he says, “I understand. You need to do what you have to do, but you'll always be able to come back.” And that meant a lot to me. But so many others don't even have those options. And I was blessed to have a husband. Many people are single moms. They don't have a spouse to help keep bringing income in.
So, what do you do? This is when it takes a village to take care of our kids. And you here are this village for a lot of parents, a lot of moms, single moms, many times, as I mentioned, who are going through such struggles. Even more recently, the cost of everything went up. Inflation and the scarcity of formula. How frightening was that just a year ago? And to wonder if you're going to be able to pay for even basic child care if it's available. And it's a lot of times it's not available. We have child care deserts all over the State of New York and there's not healthy activities for kids after school. There's no one sitting there making sure that they become Scrabble champions and go into our nation's capital, like the team from here did. Scrabble champions from here. Or teaching kids how to play chess like they're doing just upstairs or teaching kids how to make things with their hands and creative – everything is focused as Bonnie told me, like we're trying to get their mind so stimulated. A lot of kids don't have that.
So, this is personal to me as a brand-new Governor. My first budget demonstrated my priorities. We put $6 billion toward helping parents and providers give to our kids what they deserve. We put that money on the table. It's there. We also made sure that our providers would have extra resources, that our families could get support subsidies because I took office and I said, “What does our subsidies go up to? How much can a family earn before the subsidies are cut off?” It was $53,000. I said, “We're leaving a lot of people behind. A lot of families are struggling when they're making $60,000 or $70,000.”
So, starting in October, under my direction, that number will have gone from $53,000 up to $93,000. So, we're going to capture 400,000 more children that'll be eligible for subsidized child care. So, we’re also focusing on our employers. We have a child care – what we call a child care pilot program for employers. We're helping subsidize employers.
You know what I tell employers when they're putting up a new business? I said, “Did you make room in your building for child care?” “Why do I need child care?” “Do you want to have women in your workforce?” And not just women – it's nothing like being able to provide this, where a dad can go down and take care of the child and maybe if the child's not feeling well, go check on them at lunchtime and just be part of the family. It's all about family staying together and being strong. So, employers, I believe, have a responsibility. I remember going up to the North Country and a leader of a huge tech company said, “We're having trouble finding women to work for us. We want to have more women.” It's like, “Where is your child care center? You're in the middle of nowhere.” What are they supposed to do with their kids? They're working on it.
And Micron is a company we lured. If you've heard the Micron story to Upstate, and you'll feel the supply chain benefits all the way here. 50,000 jobs coming, $100 billion investment – the largest investment in our nation's history. And guess what I made them do to get help from the state? They are right now constructing an onsite separate building child care facility for their workers. This is what we can do in government. We can change the dynamic around this.
Also, one other thing we did, I'm noting that our Child Care Tax Credit is for five-year-olds and up. Okay, so we'll help families when their kids are heading off to school. They're not eating at home and they're not in diapers and formula. So, I changed that as well so infants through four-year-olds on up will now be able to take advantage of a tax credit. So, there are countless ways that I'm trying to find to lift our families up, but I can do that out of Albany. When I come here and see that there are people who care so deeply about our children to give them that first start – and what a difference it's made. I'm telling you right now, every child who walks through this door is going to have a better shot at succeeding in life than the kids who don't. But we need to make places like this more available everywhere. So, I'm going to hold you up as the model. You are the model.
So, we supported this with $300,000 from the state. But of course, Bonnie being Bonnie says to me, “That was really nice. Let me show you our expansion plans over here.” Swimming pool, gymnasium. You're a great champion. Fred Thiele from the First District says he's going to bring the Speaker down and let him see what you do here too so he can convince the Assembly. We'll get the Senate on board, and we'll try to make some magic happen. No promises though, okay? Just – okay. But you are very persuasive and really to see firsthand – you all need to see what these kids are doing. And it’s giving them a chance to succeed. And that's our responsibility as not just parents, but also as leaders of the state, because we're doing this for them and for their families to continue generational growth and wealth because too many communities and families have been left behind.
So, I'm proud to be here, proud to work with an incredible team that you have here on the ground. Bonnie, I just adore you. I love the passion behind what you're doing. You've been here many, many years. You have a supervisor who is a great champion for you. Jay has been at so many events with me, and he's just got that positive spirit and can't believe life without Jay. But also, Bridget. Bridget’s been extraordinary. And Bridget, I feel like this is your last – okay. You are the reason I came out here in 2020. I saw Bridget and she says, “This is so important to the community. It means a lot. Would you please come out as Lieutenant Governor?” And Bridget, you've been a dear friend and an outstanding public servant. So, let's recognize the elected leaders we're blessed to have here.
And Fred Thiele. He's a champion for the environment because the environment is everything here. Water quality, making sure that there's training for the jobs with offshore wind, making sure that we take care of the whole ecosystem because this is what defines this magnificent part of our state. But he's also been a great supporter of this project. And I want to thank him and congratulate him on getting this over the finish line and for all the great work he does. He's a great friend, a great partner. Ladies and gentlemen, your very own Assemblymember, Fred Thiele.