Child Care Resource Network Launches Empire State Child Care Share Pilot in WNY 10/29/2026

Dedicated to building a stronger child care system and improving the availability, affordability and quality of child care in Western New York, Child Care Resource Network recently announced the launch of the Empire State Child Care Share pilot program. The Empire State Child Care Share offers a new approach to making child care more affordable for working families while helping local employers recruit and retain employees throughout the Western New York region.

Through Empire State Child Care Share, the cost of eligible child care is divided among three partners: the family, the employer and New York State. Each partner contributes one-third of the cost, significantly reducing the amount participating families pay for care. The pilot is designed to support eligible working families who exceed income limits and do not qualify for traditional child care assistance but still struggle with the high cost of care.

“Child care is not only a family issue. It is a workforce and economic issue,” said Susan Gawley, Senior Impact Officer for the Child Care Resource Network. “We hear from families who are trying to balance the cost of care with the need to remain in the workforce, and we hear from employers who know that reliable child care can make the difference between keeping a valued employee and losing one. Empire State Child Care Share brings families, employers and New York State together around a practical solution.”

For employers, participation provides an opportunity to offer a meaningful workforce benefit that can help strengthen employee recruitment, retention and reliability. For families, it can substantially reduce out-of-pocket child care expenses. Participating licensed and registered child care providers benefit from a model designed to support reliable payment and stronger enrollment. This approach recognizes that the benefits of child care extend well beyond an individual family. Reliable care stabilizes the workforce for employers, boosts local economies by keeping parents employed, and provides child care businesses with the sustainable revenue needed to operate. Throughout the development process of the Empire State Child Care Share pilot program, three central benefits of the model were prioritized: maximizing workforce participation, enhancing employer competitiveness, and ensuring child care sector stability.

The Empire State Child Care Share initiative builds upon New York State’s broader efforts to address child care affordability and strengthen the child care system. Child Care Resource Network thanked Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) for their leadership and continued investment in solutions that help working families access affordable, high-quality child care. Governor Hochul has made expansion of child care access a major component of the State’s affordability and workforce agenda.

“Making child care work better requires partnership,” Gawley said. “We are grateful to Governor Hochul and OCFS for creating an opportunity to test an approach that brings the public and private sectors together. Now we’re excited to work with employers,
families and child care providers to put it into practice.”

Child Care Resource Network is serving as the regional facilitator for the Western NY Region, helping connect interested employers, eligible families and child care providers with the pilot program. Empire State Child Care Share is also being piloted in the Capital Region through Brightside Up and in the Syracuse/Southern Tier region through the Family Enrichment Network, extending the shared-cost model to communities across multiple regions of New York State.

Employers and families interested in participating in Empire State Child Care Share can learn more, determine eligibility and connect with the Western NY program at wnychildren.org or contact Child Care Resource Network at 716-877-6666 x 3082.