SPRING VALLEY - Concerns about access to early childhood programs for children living in and around East Ramapo school district spurred local NAACP leaders to invite a state official back to Rockland County.
New York State Office of Children and Family Services Commissioner DaMia Harris-Madden joined dozens of community leaders on Aug. 31 at the Martin Luther King Multi-purpose Center.
It was the second time Harris-Madden, who holds a key position in the administration of Gov. Kathy Hochul, had come to Ramapo in less than two months to explain investments in young children and families in the 2027 state budget.
In July, she visited the Monsey-based Community Outreach Center to discuss the state's 2027 budget and a boost for the Childcare Assistance
Program, or CCAP, in the county.
Rockland's funding for CCAP, which provides vouchers for families to give to daycare providers, jumped 70% in this year's budget, to $18.7 million.
State Assemblyman Aron Wieder, a Democrat whose 97th Assembly district includes parts of Ramapo and Orangetown, helped arrange the July meeting in Monsey. He called OCFS' nearly $19 million allocation of childcare aid for Rockland reflective of an "understanding of the needs of our families."
At the Monsey meeting, a Rockland Department of Social Services staff member said that the new funding allowed the county to clear the waiting list for CCAP vouchers.
East Ramapo monitor weighs in
Harris-Madden said she had come back to Rockland to explain CCAP, universal pre-k funding and other programs after a request by local NAACP leaders to hold such a meeting in Spring Valley, which, like Monsey, is within the borders of the East Ramapo school district.
Questions from the 40-some people gathered made clear the information was needed.
Providers and elected officials said many local childcare programs were unaware they could register to accept CCAP vouchers, which can cap the cost of childcare at $15 a week for those who qualify.
East Ramapo's state-appointed education monitor, Shelley Jallow, attended the MLK Center meeting. She underscored the value of early childhood programs. "There's an impact on the school system when children do not have the benefit of pre-k," she said.
Jallow, after the meeting, said a conversation was needed in the district about access to gauge "what role can we play to make sure more pre-k opportunities" can be accessible for children in East Ramapo.
NAACP says families need help finding resources
Several speakers said they were unaware East Ramapo contracted with childcare programs to provide free pre-k seats for district children.
Former East Ramapo board member and retired Ramapo clerk Chris Sampson noted that East Ramapo had offered pre-k programming as early as the 1980s. Parents, he said, "just need to be directed to the right place."
USA TODAY Network has filed a Freedom of Information Law request to determine the number of pre-k seats available in childcare programs designated for children who live within the East Ramapo Central School District, and where the seats are available in childcare centers. The request for information has not yet been fulfilled.
"East Ramapo (families) need to find out what's available," said NAACP Mid-Hudson Regional Director Nicole Hines, explaining why Spring Valley NAACP leaders were keen on bringing OCFS to the village. "We need to get that information to our families. ... We didn't know about this (being) right here, where it was needed."
More than 31% of Rockland County's population is under the age of 18, well over the state's 20% rate.
To find out how to apply for CCAP, go to the state OCFS website, ocfs.ny.gov or get a direct referral at https://hs.ocfs.ny.gov/CCAPsignup/invite.
Nancy Cutler covers People & Policy. Reach her at ncutler@lohud.com; follow her on X, Bluesky and Instagram at @nancyrockland.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: NY boosts childcare aid for Rockland; questions about access remain
