Family income eligibility to reduce the costs of childcare has recently expanded from 200% of the federal poverty rate to 300%, meaning more families will have access to a portion of childcare costs being covered by the State.
The Department of Social Services encourages interested families to get in contact to find out if you’re eligible and to access the subsidy. You can contact the department at 607-274-5612 or tompkinschildcare@dfa.state.ny.us
Tompkins County encourages employers to make this information available for their workforce who may be interested in the expanded eligibility to lower their childcare costs. Several posters advertising the expanded eligibility are available for download here.
Visit https://tcgov.co/DSSchildcare for more information.
Tompkins County Commissioner of the Department of Social Services Kit Kephart stated, “Even if your family wasn’t eligible for these subsidies in the past, you should contact us to see about the new guidelines. Child care access and affordability continue to be big issues facing families in our community. Every day we see families who can’t afford or find care for their young children, this impacts peoples’ ability to hold steady jobs and build careers. I encourage anyone who might be interested to reach out and I encourage our businesses and community partners to make this information available to their staff, patrons, and visitors.”