Universal Daycare for Schenectady

A Plan to Make Childcare Affordable, Reliable, and Accessible for Every Family

Childcare should not cost more than rent, force parents out of the workforce, or leave families relying on unstable arrangements. Every child in Schenectady deserves a safe place to learn, grow, and receive care, regardless of their family’s income, neighborhood, or work schedule.

As mayor, I will work to create a universal daycare system that guarantees every family in Schenectady access to affordable, high-quality childcare.

The Goal

Every child in Schenectady, from infancy until kindergarten, should have access to safe, dependable, and developmentally appropriate care.

No family should be denied childcare because they earn too little, work evenings, have an unpredictable schedule, or cannot find an available provider near their home.

1. Create a Schenectady Universal Childcare Network

The city will build a coordinated network of licensed childcare centers, home-based providers, schools, nonprofits, faith-based organizations, and community institutions.

Instead of forcing parents to contact dozens of providers on their own, the city will create one central enrollment system where families can:

• Apply for childcare assistance
• Find available daycare openings
• Compare locations and operating hours
• Access transportation support
• Receive help completing state and federal benefit applications

The city will also create a public childcare availability map so parents can quickly identify trusted providers near their homes, workplaces, schools, and public transportation routes.

2. Make Childcare Free or Affordable Based on Income

Families with the lowest incomes should pay nothing for childcare.

Middle-income families should pay an affordable amount based on their income, not the full private-market price.

No participating family should be required to spend an unreasonable share of its monthly income on daycare. Fees should be capped so parents are not forced to choose between childcare, rent, food, utilities, transportation, and medical expenses.

The city will maximize state and federal childcare subsidies while creating a local fund to assist families who fall through the cracks or experience delays in receiving benefits.

3. Expand Daycare Capacity in Every Neighborhood

Universal childcare cannot exist without enough available seats.

The city will identify publicly owned buildings, vacant commercial spaces, community centers, and underused properties that can be safely converted into childcare facilities.

Priority will be given to neighborhoods with:

• Long childcare waiting lists
• High numbers of working families
• Limited access to transportation
• High poverty rates
• Few licensed providers
• Large numbers of infants and toddlers

The city will offer grants, low-interest loans, technical assistance, and reduced-cost space to qualified childcare providers that open or expand facilities in underserved neighborhoods.

4. Support Childcare Workers

Universal daycare depends on a strong and respected workforce.

Childcare workers care for our children, support working families, and help prepare young people for school. They should not be paid poverty wages for doing essential work.

Participating providers will be expected to meet fair wage and workplace standards. The city will work with SUNY Schenectady, local schools, labor organizations, and childcare providers to create training programs for residents interested in early childhood education.

The plan will include:

• Paid training and apprenticeship opportunities
• Assistance earning childcare certifications
• Career pathways into early childhood education
• Support for home-based childcare providers
• Recruitment of multilingual providers
• Incentives for providers serving children with disabilities

This program will create jobs while expanding childcare access.

5. Provide Care for Parents Who Work Outside Traditional Hours

Many parents work nights, weekends, early mornings, holidays, or rotating schedules. A childcare system that only operates from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. does not serve many healthcare workers, restaurant employees, retail workers, first responders, hospitality workers, warehouse employees, and small-business owners.

Schenectady will support extended-hour, overnight, and weekend childcare programs.

Providers offering nontraditional hours will be eligible for additional funding to help cover staffing, security, meals, and transportation.

6. Include Children With Disabilities and Special Needs

Every childcare program receiving public support must be inclusive and accessible.

The city will work with families, healthcare providers, disability advocates, and educators to ensure that participating programs can accommodate children with autism, physical disabilities, developmental disabilities, sensory needs, and other support requirements.

Funding will help providers make physical improvements, purchase adaptive equipment, train employees, and hire additional staff when necessary.

Parents should not be forced to leave the workforce because a childcare provider refuses or is unprepared to support their child.

7. Connect Childcare With Transportation

Childcare is not truly accessible when families cannot reach it.

The city will coordinate with CDTA, schools, and local transportation providers to improve routes connecting neighborhoods, childcare centers, major employers, and educational institutions.

Families with significant transportation barriers should be able to receive assistance with bus passes, van services, or other reliable transportation options.

Whenever possible, new childcare centers should be located near bus routes and within walking distance of residential neighborhoods.

8. Ensure Quality, Safety, and Accountability

Universal childcare must be safe, transparent, and trusted by families.

All participating providers must meet licensing, health, staffing, background-check, and safety requirements.

The city will establish clear standards for:

• Staff-to-child ratios
• Facility cleanliness
• Emergency preparedness
• Nutrition
• Developmental programming
• Parent communication
• Employee training
• Complaint investigation

Families will have access to a clear complaint process, and providers receiving public funds will be subject to regular review.

Public funding should never support facilities that repeatedly fail to protect children or meet basic standards.

9. Provide Healthy Meals and Early Learning

Childcare should support the whole child.

Participating programs will provide nutritious meals and snacks while offering age-appropriate activities that build language, social, emotional, creative, and problem-solving skills.

Children should have access to books, music, art, outdoor play, and opportunities to develop the skills they need before entering school.

The goal is not to place unnecessary academic pressure on young children. It is to provide safe, supportive environments where they can learn naturally and enter kindergarten prepared.

10. Support Small and Home-Based Providers

Universal childcare should not replace trusted neighborhood providers with large corporations.

Home-based childcare providers and locally owned centers should be central to the system.

The city will provide assistance with licensing, insurance, building requirements, training, payroll, grant applications, and purchasing supplies.

Providers who meet quality and safety standards should be able to participate without being overwhelmed by unnecessary administrative barriers.

11. Create a Childcare Advisory Council

The city will establish a Universal Childcare Advisory Council made up of:

• Parents and guardians
• Childcare workers
• Home-based providers
• Early childhood educators
• Disability advocates
• Labor representatives
• Healthcare professionals
• Community organizations
• City and school district representatives

The council will review access, affordability, quality, workforce conditions, waiting lists, and neighborhood needs.

Families and workers must have a direct voice in how the system operates.

12. Fund the Program Responsibly

The city will pursue a combination of:

• State childcare funding
• Federal grants
• County partnerships
• Employer contributions
• Philanthropic funding
• Economic development funding
• Local budget appropriations
• Public-private partnerships

Large employers that benefit from a stable workforce should be encouraged to contribute to local childcare access.

The city will also review economic development agreements and public subsidies to determine whether major projects receiving public support can contribute to childcare facilities, employee childcare benefits, or the Universal Childcare Fund.

Public dollars used for development should help working families remain employed and financially stable.

Implementation Timeline

First 100 Days

The administration will create a childcare task force, survey families and providers, identify available facilities, review existing funding, and begin developing the central enrollment system.

First Year

The city will launch the childcare availability portal, establish the advisory council, begin provider grants, expand workforce training, and open pilot programs in neighborhoods with the greatest need.

Years Two and Three

The city will expand available seats, introduce extended-hour programs, strengthen transportation connections, and increase financial assistance for eligible families.

Long-Term Goal

Every Schenectady family that needs childcare will be able to find safe, affordable, and reliable care without facing years-long waiting lists or unaffordable monthly bills.

A City That Works for Families

Universal daycare is not only a family policy. It is an economic development policy, a workforce policy, an education policy, and an anti-poverty policy.

When parents can find reliable childcare, they can work, attend school, start businesses, and build stable lives. When childcare workers receive better pay and training, they can build lasting careers. When children receive safe and supportive care, they enter school better prepared to succeed.

A stronger Schenectady begins by making it possible for families to raise their children, earn a living, and remain in the city they call home.