A 2373: Requires the office of children and family services implement a regional cost factor analysis for child care subsidies; requires social services districts implement such findings.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 2373 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY January 16, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. GANDOLFO, DURSO, GALLAHAN, JENSEN, HAWLEY, SLATER, K. BROWN, DeSTEFANO, TAGUE, RA, DiPIETRO, BROOK-KRASNY, BRABE- NEC, SMITH, MILLER -- read once and referred to the Committee on Chil- dren and Families AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to requiring the office of children and family services implement a regional cost factor analysis for child care subsidies The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 410-x of the social services law, 2 is amended by adding a new paragraph (b) to read as follows: 3 (b) (i) The office of children and family services shall complete an 4 analysis to determine regional cost factors for child care services 5 provided by licensed, registered and enrolled child care providers. Such 6 regional cost factors shall take into account the differences in child 7 care costs and costs of living in a regional and local social services 8 district. The office shall create the regional cost factors to be 9 applied using the regions as defined by section two hundred thirty of 10 the economic development law. The regional cost factors shall, include 11 but not be limited to, the following: 12 (1) the county cluster that a local social services district is a part 13 of as defined by the most recent market rate survey; 14 (2) the market rate costs as defined by the most recent market rate 15 survey for each local social services district; 16 (3) the number of providers per local social services district; 17 (4) the average median income of each local social services district; 18 (5) the minimum wage rate of each county within a local social 19 services district; and 20 (6) the poverty rate of each local social services district. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD04599-01-5 
 A. 2373 2 1 (ii) Local social services districts shall be required to implement 2 such regional cost factors for child care services to incentivize such 3 operation of child care providers or child care centers. 4 (iii) The office shall complete such analysis of the regional cost 5 factors and produce what cost factors for each region would be for the 6 following year, not later than one year after the effective date of this 7 paragraph. 8 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.