We were told it would be a couple months [from when it was first paused]. But that hope is being drained as time goes on.”

Tricia Gerwer, Director at Twin Bridge Play School

SULLIVAN COUNTY – Sullivan County’s Childcare Assistance Program (CCAP) is still on pause as funds from the state cannot keep up with the program’s growing demands. 

After Governor Kathy Hochul expanded CCAP last year, raising the minimum salary requirements for families to be eligible, more people applied to receive assistance for childcare costs, whether that be a daycare facility or other types of care. 

With CCAP on pause in Sullivan as well as more than 30 other counties around the state, families are pulling their children out of daycares if they cannot afford it. 

“They are being forced to choose between working or paying for childcare,” said Tricia Gerwer, Director at Twin Bridge Play School in Liberty. “More and more parents are being affected by this.”

Anyone currently in the CCAP program will still receive their benefit until their 12-month authorization expires, but Sullivan County Health and Human Services closed its local benefit to new and renewal applications back in July. 

Now, it likely won’t resume until January next year.

“We were told it would be a couple months [from when it was first paused],” Gerwer said. “But that hope is being drained as time goes on.”

Commissioner of Health and Human Services John Liddle said the county’s 2025-26 allocation is about $222,000 more than they received from the state last year. 

“Unfortunately, even this increased amount is not going to be sufficient to support the increased demand due to the broader eligibility for the program – we probably won’t be able to start recertifying or admitting new families to CCAP again until at least January 2026,” Liddle said.

The pause in CCAP isn’t just affecting families—it’s affecting daycare providers who are seeing kids leave or reduce their hours, putting a financial strain on them. 

Gerwer said at least four kids didn’t re-enroll at Twin Bridge and a few others dropped to a part-time schedule.

“Childcare centers like ours cannot reduce tuition costs without jeopardizing our own operations,” she said. “This situation is not sustainable for anyone—families, providers, or the community as a whole.”

Looking for Solutions 

Gerwer said that while the expansion of CCAP is great in theory—allowing for more families to be able to access childcare—the reality is not keeping up with its purported benefit. She said a possible solution would be to revert to the previous co-pay structure. 

For example, a parent who previously paid $50 per week with assistance may now pay only $5 per week, Gerwer explained. Going back to that $50 amount may allow more funds to become available so that paused applications could be accepted.

To give a picture of how many families receive the CCAP benefit—at Twin Bridge out of 32 kids enrolled (which is the capacity) only three pay out of pocket. 

Jessica Dean, owner of Jessica’s Daycare in Monticello, has been in touch with Liddle and other county and state leaders to advocate for re-opening CCAP and other initiatives that would support both providers and families. 

There is legislation on Governor Hochul’s desk right now that has been approved by the state legislature that would change childcare ratios to that of center-based care—allowing two infants, 18 months and under, per caregiver rather than the ratio of 24 months.

“This will help keep providers open, allowing for enrollment of infants six months earlier,” Dean said. “Although it will not fix the [CCAP] problem, it may keep programs from closing permanently.”

Advocating for Change 

Liddle said he and his team are in frequent conversations with the New York State Office of Child and Family Services regarding all possible solutions including advocating for increased funding for the program and adjusting eligibility rules to make the program able to operate without the prolonged disruptions the county is experiencing.

While waiting for more funds to become available, Dean is in the process of creating a non-profit that will focus on assisting children and families that don’t have childcare by creating a scholarship fund that will be funded by donors.

“This is not an immediate fix as it will take me time to get this up and running and secure donations,” Dean said. “But I want to ensure that this never happens to families again moving forward.” 

Response from New York State Office of Child and Family Services

"Since taking office, the Governor has delivered the largest investment in child care in state history and expanded access to care statewide, including putting nearly 170,000 kids in child care seats that are capped at $15 per week for most families. To build on these efforts, Sullivan County has now received $250,000 in supplemental funding, allowing them to ensure that families have access to stable child care. As the state continues to devote an unprecedented number of resources to expand affordable child care, we encourage local governments to partner with us to explore additional efforts that will deliver more seats to their constituents."