SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News)— For the first time in Onondaga County history, families seeking child care assistance are being placed on a wait list, a move County Executive Ryan McMahon said is necessary due to a growing financial burden on the county.
The pause in new applications took effect on June 1, after a surge in demand and rising costs overwhelmed the program’s budget. McMahon said the county is facing a $2 million shortfall, despite local and state funding matches.
“One of the things that we’re very proud of is the fact that we’ve worked with federal and state partners to really create support for working families related to childcare so that folks can go to work,” McMahon said at a press conference Tuesday.
According to McMahon, “The program has grown rapidly over the past three years, expanding access to thousands of families as eligibility limits increased and awareness campaigns took off.”
“That was essentially about $20 million worth of costs and support to families in 2022. We had 1,900 cases. That’s about $25 million of support in 2023. We had 2,400 cases, about $26 million of support, in 2024. We had 3,100 cases,” McMahon said. “Part of that growth is because we were essentially marketing the program we had rather than it being unused.”
Child care assistance costs have risen 22% in recent years, and a series of state rule changes in 2023 have added pressure to local departments. More families now qualify for support, counties are required to pay a larger share of the cost, and the county must now fund up to 80 days of absences per child.
With the income eligibility cap for a family of four now at $113,000, up from $108,000, demand has ballooned while available state funding has not kept pace.
McMahon said the county is seeking a state-approved waiver, similar to one already granted to New York City, to manage the crisis.
“What this waiver will allow, it will allow us to put eligible cases at recertification on the waitlist if they fall within three federal priority populations,” McMahon said. “The district will implement the waitlist for new applications as instructed in the regulation. But cases at recertification can be extended if the family meets one or all three of the federally mandated populations.”
While the waiver is still pending, McMahon said New York state has assured the county that it will be approved soon.
“This basically allows families in the program today not to have to go through a recertification process and then potentially be on a waitlist moving forward,” McMahon said. “Once the funding is available, the county will continue to open cases off the list based on federally mandated populations and then the state priority populations if funding is available.”
Providers on the city’s Southside said they’re already feeling the impact. One center reported losing three families in just two days due to the county’s pause. Advocates warn that parents juggling multiple jobs without affordable care options will be among the hardest hit.
“We need the waiver to be granted where we can even figure out budgetary relief when this could potentially happen,” McMahon said. “Our goal is to make sure that any families who are in this program today remain in this program, and that new families, we will then manage moving forward.”
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: Onondaga County implements childcare assistance wait list
Vinaya Johnson: Thanks, Laila. A troubling time for Syracuse families as Onondaga County pauses child care applications, causing immediate concern. This took place on June 1st, leaving parents worried, as a wait list is now the only option. County Executive Ryan McMahon spoke on the issue today.
Ryan McMahon: We need the waiver to be granted where we can even figure out budgetary week when this could potentially happen. Our goal is to make sure that any families who receive are in this program today, remain in this program and that new families we advantage moving forward. And we’ll look at this monthly to determine what we can do.
Johnson: This is going to hurt parents working multiple jobs that are still unable to afford child care on their own. The county also included that it is out-of-state funding, with child care assistant cost up by 22% in recent years. Daycare centers are now pivoting to make funding available, including being conscious of how many absent days they build the county.