Dutchess County Early Learning Coalition Applauds Governor's Universal Child Care Plan, Seeks Pilot Status

January 8, 2026 - The Poughkeepsie Children's Cabinet, alongside partners in the Dutchess County Early Learning Coalition, welcomed Governor Kathy Hochul's announcement of a comprehensive plan to establish free universal child care throughout New York State. The initiative, unveiled alongside New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, will create truly universal pre-K outside of New York City, establish pilot communities to model universal child care, and increase funding for the existing Child Care Assistance Program by $1.2 billion. The Coalition is calling on the Governor to select Dutchess County as one of five initial pilot communities for the transformative program.

Members of the Dutchess County Early Learning Coalition at the signing ceremony for the Early Learning and Child Care Accord at the Dutchess County Child Care Summit on June 26, 2024

Since 2024, the Dutchess County Early Learning Coalition has brought together stakeholders across workforce development, business, government, nonprofit, higher education, and child care sectors to work toward a county-wide universal child care system. Coalition members include the Poughkeepsie Children's Cabinet, the Dutchess County Workforce Investment Board, and the Child Care Council of Dutchess and Putnam, all committed to making Dutchess County the best place to raise a family in New York State.

"Dutchess County employers benefit when their employees do not have to worry about whether their children are safe and cared for while they are at work," said Louise McLoughlin, Executive Director of the Dutchess County Workforce Investment Board. "Universal child care will allow more parents–particularly mothers– to enter the workforce and will provide local businesses with relief from workforce shortages."

The announcement comes at a critical moment for local families and providers. More than half of New York State's counties have exhausted funds for child care assistance, forcing many to close programs to new families who cannot afford the full cost of care. While Dutchess County has sufficient funding to provide subsidies to currently certified families through August 2026, the county was forced to close the program to new applicants.

"Universal child care benefits children from cradle to career," said Jill Gomez, Executive Director of the Poughkeepsie Children's Cabinet. "Universal child care will allow all children, regardless of family income or background, to start elementary school ready to learn. Attending a high-quality early childhood program between ages zero to four ensures that children enter kindergarten with both the social-emotional and hard skills to succeed academically."

While celebrating the $1.2 billion funding increase for the 2027 budget, the Coalition stressed the urgent need for immediate emergency bridge funding. "Providers and families cannot wait until the 2027 state budget is enacted in April and need relief now," said Himali Pandya, Executive Director of the Child Care Council of Dutchess and Putnam. The Coalition argues that Dutchess County possesses the infrastructure, bipartisan political support, and commitment necessary to successfully pilot the universal child care model while providing immediate stability to providers serving the county's neediest families.

You can view the full press release here.