New York State’s Fiscal Year 2027 Enacted Budget takes significant steps to move the state toward a true universal prekindergarten (UPK) program in which all four-year-olds (and many three-year-olds) and their families will have access to UPK within their district. The budget states that by the 2028/2029 school year, all school districts must provide a full-day prekindergarten program to all eligible four-year-olds in the district whose parents choose to enroll the child in the district’s UPK program. These services can be provided directly by the district, through a BOCES, by public charter schools, or through a partnership with eligible agencies. While most districts already have some form of a UPK program, the mandate will require many districts to begin new programs and others to significantly expand their offerings.
The enacted budget also provides additional funding for both four-year-olds and three-year-olds to attend UPK programs. Funding is based partially on the state’s foundation aid formula and on the expected number of four-year-old and three-year-old enrollment based on the districts’ kindergarten enrollment. The state has also amended the school transportation requirements to include transportation for UPK students. In addition to three- and four-year-olds, the budget provides funding to partner with New York City to launch a “2-Care” program for two-year-olds, and to further expand access for three-year-olds.
The enacted budget also increases funding for the state’s county-administered Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) and, according to Governor Kathy Hochul’s statement about the budget agreement, commits to partnering with counties to expand access to affordable childcare. Budget language also increases the term of facility licenses for childcare centers and group family day care programs from four to six years, which may reduce administrative burden on those centers.
Finally, the budget expands the Child and Dependent Care Credit, which is a refundable tax credit that parents can use to deduct payments for qualifying expenses like childcare center tuition. The value of the credit is set as a percentage of qualifying childcare expenses, which are up to $3,000 for one child, $6,000 for two children, and then a sliding scale for additional children. The lowest income earners have the highest credit value at 55 percent of qualifying expenses, and the value of the credit decreases in terms of percent of qualifying expenses as income increases.
This broader expansion of state support for UPK and childcare builds on an existing structure of early care and education (ECE) programs within the state that has already been significantly expanded during the Hochul administration. As discussed in a previous Rockefeller Institute blog, “The Path to Affordable Child Care: Where is New York Now?,” New York’s childcare and preschool infrastructure includes many different types of programs with different funding sources, including the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), Head Start, Early Head Start, and Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK). Each of these programs relies on a highly trained and consistent workforce to support children in early care. Without an adequate childcare and preschool workforce, however, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to meet the state’s goals of expanding affordable childcare and UPK. This blog discusses the current state of the ECE workforce in New York (which includes both childcare workers and preschool teachers as well as associated professionals), the challenges facing that workforce, and potential policy strategies to support and expand the workforce through education and credentialing.
Current Childcare and UPK Capacity in New York
New York is already struggling to meet the childcare needs of residents, notwithstanding any further expansion of childcare programming or UPK availability. Much of that struggle to ensure capacity can meet the needs of families is due to inadequate staffing. Currently, 62.5 percent of children under five in New York live in a childcare desert as defined by the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS). A childcare desert exists when there are fewer than one childcare slot for every three children, or there are no slots at all. Licensed and registered childcare slots (omitting school-aged childcare) have largely stagnated since 2015, growing only 3.0 percent over the past 10 years, with only 1.3 percent growth in New York City and 4.7 percent in the rest of the state.
Childcare Capacity in New York State (omitting school-aged childcare)
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024* | Growth | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | 463,270 | 462,559 | 464,181 | 463,503 | 463,325 | 458,036 | 450,731 | 456,081 | 466,110 | 477,650 | 3.0% |
| NYC | 230,775 | 228,819 | 230,448 | 230,020 | 229,657 | 225,472 | 220,942 | 227,044 | 230,012 | 233,749 | 1.3% |
| ROS | 232,495 | 233,740 | 233,733 | 233,483 | 233,668 | 232,564 | 229,789 | 229,037 | 236,098 | 243,901 | 4.7% |
Source: OCFS Child Care Data Provider Data, ocfs.ny.gov/programs/childcare/data.
Additionally, there is a similar gap in enrollment in preschool in New York, both in UPK programs and through private preschool providers. According to American Community Survey (ACS) data from the US Census Bureau, 53.5 percent of the state’s three-year-olds and 76.7 percent of four-year-olds are enrolled in some type of pre-K program, which consists of a mix of school-based UPK programs, daycare centers, Head Start programs, community organizations, private schools, and places of worship. Significantly more pre-K programs—and more teachers to work at those programs—will be needed to support an expanded full-coverage UPK system and increased enrollment in the private preschool system.
2023 US Census American Community Survey Preschool Attendance in New York State
| Age | Count | In School | Percent |
| 3 | 202,280 | 108,224 | 53.5% |
| 4 | 207,647 | 159,243 | 76.7% |
Source: Author Calculation Using IPUMS USA, University of Minnesota, www.ipums.org.
The Early Care and Education Workforce
Occupations and Place of Work
The early care and education workforce is a significant component of the care workforce and includes a variety of occupations and types of employers. The primary ECE occupations are childcare workers and preschool teachers, although they also include preschool and childcare administrators, special education teachers, medical professionals, paraprofessionals, and other social services professionals. New York will need to substantially build its workforce of childcare workers and preschool teachers to support an expansion of universally affordable childcare (UACC) and UPK.
Even without an expansion of UACC or UPK in New York, the state is expected to need significantly more childcare workers and pre-K teachers in the next 10 years than it currently has. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 10-year projections and using the most recent data (2024), the New York childcare and early education workforce needs to grow by at least 18 percent based on current policy alone. This is significantly more growth than is projected for the US as a whole, which is anticipated to actually see a decline in childcare worker openings and only a modest 4 percent growth in preschool teacher openings.
New York will need to substantially build its workforce of childcare workers and preschool teachers to support an expansion of universally affordable childcare (UACC) and UPK.
Childcare and Pre-K Workforce in New York State (Selected Occupations)
| Employment | 10 Year Projection | Change | |
| Childcare Worker | 72,320 | 83,040 | 15% |
| Administrators, Preschool, and Daycare | 4,540 | 5,600 | 23% |
| Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education | 22,830 | 28,390 | 24% |
| Special Education Teachers, Preschool | 4,440 | 5,650 | 27% |
| Total | 104,130 | 122,680 | 18% |
|---|
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections www.bls.gov/emp
The ECE workforce is also diverse in terms of where workers are employed. While the majority of childcare workers and preschool and kindergarten teachers are employed by public school districts (17.4 percent of childcare workers and 34.1 percent of preschool teachers) or childcare centers (51.7percent of childcare workers and 64.2 percent of preschool teachers) a significant percent of childcare workers also are employed in private homes (21.5 percent) or by other less traditional types of childcare providers, including in-building daycare at companies, religious institutions, social service organizations, and recreational facilities (10 percent).
2024 US Census American Community Survey Childcare and Preschool Workforce Industry (Location) of Work for New York
| Childcare Workers | Preschool and Kindergarten Teachers | |
| Childcare Services (Centers) | 51.7% | 64.2% |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools | 17.4% | 34.1% |
| Private Households | 21.5% | 0.0% |
| Other | 9.5% | 1.7% |
Source: Author Calculation Using IPUMS USA, University of Minnesota, www.ipums.org.
Education and Training Requirements
Childcare workers and preschool teachers are not a uniform group and have different required levels of education and experience depending on the setting in which they work and the ages of the children with whom they work. Center- and school-based childcare and pre-K staff who work directly with children can generally be broken into four categories: group teachers for a preschool program; group teachers for an infant-toddler program; assistant teachers; and childcare workers. OCFS requires that group teachers and assistant teachers must meet “minimal regulatory qualifications required to oversee the needs and safety of children in a child care center or school age child care group” or in the case of assistant teachers to assist in doing so.
The table below includes a version of the generally accepted qualifications in New York for center-based childcare and preschool teachers based on OCFS guidelines and a number of providers’ posted teacher qualifications. These are not the minimal qualifications required in New York for all childcare workers, however. Home-based providers are not required to have any specific credentials, and there are no specific education requirements for assistants and aides in either center-based or home-based childcare, although a high school diploma and experience are significantly preferred.
Current Childcare Worker and Teacher Education Requirements
| Position | Option 1 | Option 2 | Option 3 |
| Group Teacher Preschool Program | Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education or a related field of study, and a valid certification issued by the State Education Department | Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education or a related field of study and two years of supervised and documented relevant experience in a preschool program | Proposed plan for meeting the requirements of one or two within seven years and meet additional eligibility requirements set forth by Article 47 |
| Group Teacher in Infant-Toddler Program | Associate’s degree in Early Childhood Education | Childhood Development Associate (CDA) plus a study plan to obtain an associate’s degree in Early Childhood Education within seven years | High school diploma, nine college credits in Early Childhood education, or 5 years supervised experience in an infant-toddler classroom, plan to complete an associate’s degree in Early Childhood Education within seven years |
| Assistant Teacher (Infant and Preschool) | High school diploma and either (1) 60 college credits or (2) a Child Development Associate’s credential | ||
| Childcare Worker | No formal education requirement, many centers require a Child Development Associate’s credential or work experience |
An analysis of the National Survey of Early Care and Education found that the ECE workforce is generally more educated than the minimal requirements and that the level of education differs across types of providers nationally. Thirty percent of center-based teaching staff have a bachelor’s degree or higher, and only 22 percent have a high school diploma or less. Home-based providers tend to have lower levels of education, with 37 percent of unlisted home-based providers reporting a high school diploma or less during the last wave of the survey (2019).
The 2024 American Community Survey reveals similar patterns in educational attainment among childcare workers and preschool and kindergarten teachers in New York. More than 20 percent of childcare workers have a bachelor’s degree or higher, and an additional 31 percent have some college or an associate’s degree. However, a significant percentage of those workers, 15 percent, have less than a high school diploma or GED. In contrast, preschool and kindergarten teachers have higher levels of education, with more than 65 percent reporting they hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. Sixteen percent of preschool and kindergarten teachers report having only some college, but no degree, or report having an associate’s degree.
Childcare and Preschool Workforce Educational Attainment in New York
| Childcare Workers | Preschool and Kindergarten Teachers | |
| Less than High School | 15.4% | 1.9% |
| High School Diploma/GED | 33.4% | 16.9% |
| Some College | 22.1% | 10.6% |
| Associate’s | 8.9% | 5.6% |
| Bachelor’s or Higher | 20.3% | 65.8% |
Source: Author Calculation Using IPUMS USA, University of Minnesota, www.ipums.org. 2024 US Census American Community Survey
Demographics and Economic Status
According to the most recent National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE), ECE workers across the US are significantly more likely to be women of color relative to the general workforce: 40 to 56 percent of the workforce, depending on the setting. In a similar breakdown, the majority of ECE workers in New York (57 percent) are women of color, with 19 percent Black and 25 percent Latina or Hispanic of any race as the largest two groups. There is also significant diversity in the primary language of ECE workers in New York, with 63 percent speaking English at home, 24 percent speaking Spanish, and an additional 5 percent speaking other languages.
The NSECE asks more comprehensive questions about workplace characteristics for ECE workers compared to more general labor force surveys, which allows comparisons between types of providers not available in ACS data. Despite the difference in survey methodology and sample type, recent data from the ACS show similar patterns in the demographic and economic status of childcare workers and preschool teachers to the NSECE. In New York, 92 percent of childcare workers and 97 percent of preschool and kindergarten teachers are women and a majority of the childcare workforce (58 percent) are women of color; women of color are also overrepresented compared to the general workforce as preschool and kindergarten teachers at 38 percent. Childcare workers are more likely to be immigrants and to not speak English at home with 41 percent of workers reporting being born outside of the US and 40 percent stating that they do not speak English at home. Those numbers are lower for preschool and kindergarten teachers (20 percent and 29 percent respectively,) but still higher than the general workforce.
2024 US Census American Community Survey Childcare and Preschool Workforce Demographic and Economic Status for New York
| Childcare Workers | Preschool and Kindergarten Teachers | |
| Women | 92.0% | 97.1% |
| Hispanic | 33.0% | 19.1% |
| White (not Hispanic) | 37.5% | 61.1% |
| Person of Color | 62.5% | 38.9% |
| Black | 20.6% | 10.0% |
| Woman of Color | 57.9% | 38.0% |
| Does Not Speak English at Home | 40.4% | 28.6% |
| Immigrant | 41.0% | 19.6% |
| Currently in School | 17.4% | 14.2% |
| Has Health Insurance | 92.4% | 95.8% |
| Average Age | 41.4 | 39.8 |
Source: Author Calculation Using IPUMS USA, University of Minnesota, www.ipums.org.
Income and Wages
One factor that may prove to be particularly challenging to overcome when attempting to expand access to childcare in New York is the prevailing wage. The median wage for a childcare worker in New York State is $17.61/hour, which is less than half the state’s median wage of $38.96/hour and only 7 to 14 percent above the mandated minimum wage (depending on jurisdiction). Childcare workers are the lowest paid workers among all care workers including health aides; wages are higher for preschool teachers and childcare and preschool administrators.
Childcare and Pre-K Workforce in New York State
| Median Wage | 25th Percentile | 75th Percentile | |
| Childcare Worker | $17.61/hr | $16.57/hr | $20.20/hr |
| Administrators, Preschool, and Daycare | $38.30/hr | $29.42/hr | $48.07/hr |
| Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education | $21.91/hr | $17.71/hr | $27.97/hr |
| Special Education Teachers, Preschool | $62,190/yr | $49,370/yr | $81,330/yr |
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024) https://www.bls.gov/oes/.
New York also has one of the largest living wage gaps in the US for the ECE workforce, with workers earning 26 percent ($5.27) below the living wage according to MIT’s living wage calculator. New York also has the highest participation of ECE workers in the social safety net with more than 50 percent of workers participating in any public safety net program and 40 percent receiving the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which is intended for the lowest income working people.
Childcare workers’ wages vary extensively based on the settings they work in. Educators in center-based programs tend to make more, on average, than those in home-based programs. Also, publicly funded centers, including Head Start locations, tend to pay more than private centers. Further, there is a “pay penalty” for people who work with younger children: center-based early educators with a bachelor’s degree or higher make $8,000 less on average working with infants and toddlers compared to those who work with children aged 3 to 5.
The low wages of childcare workers are accompanied by significant turnover within the workforce. This can add stress to the sector, as childcare centers may have to limit capacity as they lose experienced staff and have to screen and train new workers. Turnover rates range from 11 to 12 percent, which is higher than 90 percent of occupations with one third of centers reaching turnover levels above 20 percent. Nationally, program leaders at childcare centers have reported a recent increase in turnover, with 39 percent saying that it was more challenging to retain staff in 2025 compared to 2024 and 59 percent stating it was more challenging to recruit qualified educators.
Policy Considerations for Expanding the Childcare and Pre-K Workforce
Expanding affordable childcare and UPK will require a significant increase in the childcare and early education workforce, including a need for additional child care workers, pre-K teachers, special education teachers, teacher aids, and daycare and preschool administrators. While each of these occupations has different tasks, qualifications, and education pathways (as discussed above), many policies could support expansion of the workforce as a whole.
A primary barrier to entry into the childcare and early educational workforce likely is the wage rate. As discussed above, childcare workers make very close to minimum wage and New York has one of the largest living wage gaps for childcare workers. Childcare workers also are significantly more likely to rely on social safety net programs than their peers and less likely to have health insurance. Increasing the wages and benefits for childcare workers could significantly increase the supply of childcare workers and attract people to ECE careers. New Mexico’s recent expansion of affordable childcare through their Early Childhood Education and Care Fund increased the base pay for early care educators and created a salary step system similar to that for public school teachers that rewards experience. In New Mexico median annual childcare wages grew 65 percent from 2019 to 2024 which is over twice the national growth of 32 percent over the same period.
Creating a Defined Statewide System of Stackable Credentials
Increasing wages alone will not be enough to build the necessary ECE workforce, however. Appropriate—and affordable—education and experience pathways will be needed that allow workers to build sustainable careers in ECE. This section discusses some of the options New York has for improving access to education, training, and advancement for ECE professionals.
New York could create a pathway of stackable credentials that allows childcare and preschool professionals to move through certifications and careers while working. Many of the requirements for different occupations within childcare and pre-K already have overlapping credentials. For example, an assistant teacher in an infant and toddler classroom is required to have 60 college credits or Child Development Associate’s (CDA) credential. That assistant teacher can become a group teacher with a study plan to complete an associate’s degree in early childhood education within seven years, which would allow them to move into a higher paid role while working on their degree. Some childcare workers appear to be building their own education pathways while working: 17 percent of childcare workers report that they are currently in school in the American Community Survey.
The existing pathways for childcare worker advancement in New York are somewhat complicated and ambiguous in terms of what a “study plan” is and how many college credits qualify for which roles, however. Creating a more clear-cut pathway of stackable credentials, including supervised experience credentials, would allow childcare and early education professionals greater ability to move between positions and employers and retain or build on credits for all of their education and experience. Further, stackable credentials and career pathways across related occupations within childcare and early education mirror the career pathways and licensing structure of the health aid and nursing profession, which New York already has the licensing infrastructure to support.
Expanding Existing Education Programs for Childcare and Early Education
Existing educational support programs could be leveraged to facilitate these career pathways and subsidize or eliminate the associated tuition costs. New York’s free community college for in-demand fields program (that started in 2025) can be used to support attainment of the Early Childhood Education Associate’s degree required for most childcare group teachers, for example. In addition to community college pathways, many childcare workers begin their educational attainment with a nondegree credential. Although the cost of credential programs is typically lower than attaining an associate’s or bachelor’s degree, the cost could still be prohibitive. As such, the state could offer micro-scholarships for the Childhood Development Associate credential, for example, a 12-credit credential that costs around $3,500 and currently is needed to be an assistant teacher for infant and toddler programs. New York has two existing scholarship programs that could be expanded to fit this role: The CUNY-SUNY Early Childhood Workforce Scholarship and the QUALITYstarsNY Scholarship.
Existing teacher development programs in the state also could be expanded to include pre-K teachers, including:
- NYSED’s Grow Your Own Initiatives—A program that directly recruits and helps train teachers from communities that have the most need for those teachers. This would be particularly appropriate for training childcare workers to be pre-K teachers.
- Alternative Teacher Certification Programs at SUNY and CUNY are included in the governor’s education workforce investment efforts.
- Upskilling paraprofessionals at SUNY and CUNY, which are also part of New York’s education workforce investment.
Some existing teacher education supports are already being expanded to include early childhood educators. The FY 2027 budget expands eligibility for the Master’s in Education Teacher Incentive Scholarship to include early childhood teachers in addition to the elementary and secondary teachers who were already eligible. This scholarship now allows individuals with a bachelor’s degree from a New York State university enrolled in an approved education graduate program that leads to certification as an early childhood educator to receive up to $5,655 per semester scholarship if they agree to teach full-time for five years after certification.
Working with SUNY and CUNY to provide traditional childcare and education training programs at more campuses and through online offerings
SUNY and CUNY already train many childcare workers and preschool teachers in New York State. Some of SUNY’s and CUNY’s programs are located in the state’s childcare deserts, and the state could work with these institutions to locate additional Early Childhood Education Associate programs in high-need childcare deserts. The state could also support SUNY initiatives to provide on-campus support for students working towards online only credentials in childcare, including access to advising, libraries, computers, and high-speed broadband.
In addition to expanding early education programs, SUNY and CUNY could expand childcare centers and pre-K programs at campuses to not only provide more childcare and pre-K slots to the community, but also as sites that provide “student-teaching”-type opportunities to train additional childcare and pre-K professionals and provide them with the training hours required for certification.
Conclusion
Expanding New York’s system of affordable childcare and Universal Pre-Kindergarten will require supporting and expanding the early care and education workforce. New York is already projected to need 15 percent more childcare workers and 24 percent more preschool teachers over the next 10 years, and policy changes enacted as part of the state’s FY 2027 budget will likely result in an even greater shortage of ECE professionals. A significant effort to attract, train, and retain more childcare workers, preschool teachers, and associated occupations is needed.
Increasing childcare worker wages will likely have the largest effect on increasing this workforce; however, just increasing wages is likely not enough. While many childcare workers are not required to have a specific credential or degree, most of the higher-paid and more permanent professional ECE careers require a combination of certificates, degrees, and experience that can take years to earn. Preschool teachers, in particular, are generally required to have a bachelor’s degree, which requires at least four years of postsecondary education. To ensure that there will be enough preschool and childcare center group teachers to meet the demand generated by the state’s new policies designed to increase access to childcare, it is necessary to expand education options for ECE professionals. Three such options that leverage New York’s existing education infrastructure include creating a pathway of stackable ECE credentials and certifications similar to nursing credentials, expanding existing education support programs to include ECE certifications and degrees, and expanding ECE courses and experience opportunities at SUNY and CUNY campuses.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)
Leigh Wedenoja is chief economist at the Rockefeller Institute of Government.