2025 Rockland Childcare in Crisis: How Local Families Can Find Support

If your childcare costs feel higher than your mortgage and finding a spot feels harder than scoring Taylor Swift tickets, you're not imagining it. Rockland County families are facing a childcare crunch this year and the impact is hitting parents, providers, and our local economy hard.

Child care providers across New York State continue to face significant challenges, including staff shortages, high prices, and too few available slots. "Nearly half of the state’s child care providers have raised tuition and a third have lost staff, a new report found," with many considering closure due to rising costs, underfunding, and staffing shortages. Local providers in Rockland County are experiencing these same pressures. If you're scrambling to find a reliable, affordable spot or wondering how you're supposed to work while daycare waitlists stretch months—you're not alone. 

Here's what's going on, why it matters, and where to turn.

What Happened To Rockland Childcare?

1. ARPA's $24B Child Care Stabilization Grants ended September 30, 2023. Congress did not renew or replace them, so the funding simply expired. Programs that used those stabilization dollars across New York State in 2021–2023 lost that support, and the ripple effects continue into 2025.
2. New York's core subsidy is still the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), run by counties (like Rockland) with federal, state, and local dollars. When ARPA dollars ended and demand rose, families across New York State have been losing child care assistance as funding runs short, intensifying waitlists, recertification denials, and provider strain.
   • A recent petition highlights how "Rockland County is strongly affected by the confusion, instability and lack of funding in the Child Care Assistance program."
3. In July 2025, the federal government passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), a sweeping policy that includes tax cuts, expanded work requirements for public assistance, and controversial reforms to education and social services. While it provided tax savings for many families and enhanced some employee benefits like dependent care flexible spending accounts, it did not include the sustained childcare investments many had hoped would replace ARPA programs like stabilization grants for providers and expanded subsidies for working families.
   • Worse, OBBBA actively undermines New York's childcare expansion efforts. The bill includes cuts to basic needs programs and increased work requirements, which particularly affects states like New York that have invested heavily in social services. Governor Hochul warned of "draconian cuts" to New York's budget from OBBBA's impacts on health insurance, food assistance, and the state economy. 
   • These cuts force the state to redirect funds that could have supported childcare expansion to maintaining basic services, creating additional barriers for families who need both childcare assistance and other support programs to remain employed.

Bottom line: Congressional inaction after ARPA removed the stabilization funds that had been critical to keeping child care providers operating.

What This Means for Rockland Childcare Providers

Childcare providers were already struggling, and the loss of these temporary funds hit hard. Here’s what we’re seeing locally:

• Tuition hikes averaging 12–25% for full-time care
• Programs cutting infant slots (the most expensive to staff)
• Fewer part-time or flexible care options
• Teachers leaving for higher-paying, less stressful jobs
• Waitlists growing faster than staffing can keep up

What Can Rockland Families Do?

1. Know Your Local Options

While options are shrinking, there are still incredible providers in our community. Keep checking local directories, social media parent groups, and sites like nanuet.macaronikid.com for openings, waitlist tips, and new programs.

• Child Care Resources of Rockland, Inc. - promotes and supports healthy development of children by helping families find affordable, quality child care, providing training for child care professionals, and advocating for child care and education
• Rockland County Social Services eligibility programs - information about SNAP, child care assistance, and other family support programs

2. Support Providers However You Can

Even if you’re not using childcare right now, you can:

• Recommend trusted providers to other families
• Leave positive reviews online
• Share their social posts
• Advocate for better funding at the county and state level

3. Get Involved in the Conversation

Groups like Child Care Council of Rockland and New York Union Child Care Coalition are pushing for real solutions. Whether you write to your representatives, attend a town hall, or just stay informed—you're helping create momentum for change too.

• Every voice matters. When you contact your representatives about childcare, you're not just sharing your story, you're providing them with real data about their constituents' needs. 
  1. Contact you legislators and New York State representatives to share how the childcare crisis affects your family and local economy.
     • US Senators (represent all of New York):
       • Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Majority Leader, opposed The One Big Beautiful Bill Act
         • Washington, DC: (202) 224-6542
         • Peekskill Office (closest to Rockland): (914) 734-1532
         • Contact form
       • Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) opposed OBBBA
         • Washington, DC: (202) 224-4451
         • NYC Office: (212) 688-6262
         • Contact form
     • Federal Representatives:
       • Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY17) represents Rockland County in Congress and voted in favor of The One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
         • Washington, DC: (202) 225-6506
         • Local Office: (845) 208-1904
         • Online contact form
  2. Town halls and public meetings are where policy gets shaped. Attend Rockland County Legislature meetings or local school board sessions where childcare issues intersect with education policy. Some are available online.
     • Your presence shows elected officials that this isn't just an abstract issue and it's affecting real families who vote.
  3. Staying informed creates ripple effects. When you share articles like this one, post about childcare challenges on social media, or simply talk to neighbors about these issues, you're expanding awareness beyond the families directly affected. 
     • Parents who aren't struggling yet need to understand that childcare infrastructure affects everyone from small business owners who can't find reliable employees to grandparents who are unexpectedly becoming primary caregivers.
  4. Join local advocacy efforts. Sign petitions like the Save Childcare for Rockland County campaign, participate in letter-writing campaigns, or volunteer with organizations working on these issues. 
     • Even small actions compound into real policy pressure when coordinated across communities.

It’s Not Just Babysitting, It’s Brain-Building

When childcare breaks down, it creates a domino effect:

• Parents (mostly moms) reduce hours or leave jobs
• Small businesses lose staff
• Local economies lose productivity
• Kids miss out on essential learning and stability

We believe childcare should be reliable, affordable, and respected because families can’t function without it. And neither can our local economy.

If you’re a parent struggling to make it all work, subscribe for local support. And if you're a childcare provider holding the line, connect with The Hudson Valley Network for local support.

For Rockland County Childcare Providers

If you’ve lost CCAP income or are struggling to stay open:

• File complaints by calling the Office of Children and Family Services.
• Document all unpaid invoices.
• Connect with fellow providers. You’re stronger together.
• Contact Child Care Resources of Rockland (CCRR) to stay informed and supported.

We are essential to keeping the future bright for our children. Let’s keep showing up, together.