Schuyler Center is continuing to monitor the impact that federal changes will have on children and families across New York State.
With the recent passing of the HR.1 bill, our efforts remain steadfast to ensure that New York’s families can access resources and are protected in these challenging times.
Update 12/21/25 – Governor Hochul signed Anti-Harassment in Reporting (S.550-A/A.66-A) and Provide Luggage to Foster Youth (S.3781/A.5434) into law before the close of 2025. By signing these bills Governor Hochul is steering New York’s child welfare system in a more caring direction.
This year we are celebrating three major child welfare policy wins! These wins are the result of years of advocacy during which Schuyler Center and partners have worked alongside state leaders to deepen the understanding of the issues impacting children and families involved in New York’s child welfare system.
Anti-Harassment in Reporting (S.550-A/A.66-A) passed both houses this year, a first after years of advocacy. This bill would require reporters at the State Central Register to confidentially provide their name and contact information, ending the state’s practice of accepting anonymous reports. We have prioritized this bill because each year, anonymous reports to the State Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment (SCR) lead to thousands of unnecessary, traumatic investigations into New York families, which are eventually determined to be unfounded.
Alternative Living Arrangements Reporting (S.5242/A.744) passed both houses this year – this legislation addresses another issue Schuyler Center and our partners have worked on for years. This bill would require local departments of social services to record and report on the practice of separating children from their parents using “voluntary” arrangements not overseen by a family court. We supported this bill because when alternative living arrangements are used, CPS separates the child from their parents outside of the standard investigative process. In New York there are around 14,000 children in CPS custody; there are almost 200,000 children estimated to be involved in alternative living arrangements. These arrangements, while widely used, are not tracked or monitored.
Provide Luggage to Foster Youth (S.3781/A.5434) passed both houses this year—unanimously! This bill would require the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) to provide luggage to young people entering, living in, moving between, and exiting state custody, placement, or guardianship. The bill also requires annual reporting on young people that do and do not have luggage. This is a common sense, long overdue measure that would help young people involved in the child welfare system by preserving their human dignity and some sense of normalcy.
We look forward to seeing Governor Hochul sign these bills into law in the coming months.
On March 21st, 2025, the Schuyler Center’s policy team hosted a webinar to discuss what we’re watching as the NYS Legislature and Executive negotiate the investments that will be included in the final enacted state budget. As state budget negotiations continue, members of Schuyler Center’s policy team provided an update on priorities related to child poverty reduction, universal child care, child and family health, and child welfare. The team also shared ways that attendees can advocate for investments in New York’s children. Materials from the webinar can be found below.
Schuyler Center’s Next Look is an initial and targeted assessment of how the New York Senate and Assembly State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2025-26 One House Budget proposals, along with the Executive Budget proposals, would address some of the issues most critical to the health and wellbeing of low-income families and children, and New Yorkers living on the margins. With the 2021 enactment of the Child Poverty Reduction Act, New York has committed to cutting child poverty by 50% by 2031 with attention to racial equity. The law creates an expectation of public accounting for progress over time and assessment of how budget proposals would impact child poverty. In the fourth year since enactment, and with the Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council’s recommendations released in December 2024, all of us, in and outside of government, must systematically evaluate each and every budget decision as to its impact on child poverty and overall child and family wellbeing. Now is the time to take action to move New York swiftly toward meeting its child poverty reduction commitment.
The Next Look analysis looks at State budget proposals that hold real opportunity to move New York toward fulfilling that commitment, and to concretely improving the lives of New York children, families, and marginalized New Yorkers. In the coming days, Schuyler Center’s team will be analyzing these proposals closely and working with partners to ensure that the enacted State budget seizes these opportunities to set up all New Yorkers to thrive.
Schuyler Center’s First Look is an initial assessment of New York State’s 2025-26 proposed Executive Budget and how it advances priorities that improve the health and wellbeing of all New Yorkers, especially those living in poverty.
In 2021, New York State enacted the Child Poverty Reduction Act, committing the State to reducing child poverty by 50% in the coming decade with attention to racial equity. The law creates an expectation of public accounting for progress over time and assessment of budget actions with regard to their impacts on child poverty. In the fourth year since enactment, and with the Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council’s recommendations released in December 2024, all of us, in and outside of government, must systematically evaluate each and every budget decision as to its impact on child poverty and overall child and family wellbeing. We must act with intention to ensure each of those decisions is moving us closer to a New York where no child experiences poverty.
We applaud Governor Hochul’s State of the State proposals designed to bring meaningful investment to support New York’s children and families, especially those experiencing poverty and poverty-related hardships in communities across the state.
As we face a shifting federal climate, the right investments can ensure New York’s families are supported and that New York State is the best place for a child to learn, play, grow up, find their passion, and participate in a vibrant future for our state. We look forward to working with state leaders to implement the policies and investments that will make the future possible.
On Governor Hochul’s Proposals to Strengthen Child Care:
We were thrilled to hear the Governor restate during yesterday’s State of the State address her ongoing commitment to achieving universal child care in New York. We welcome the governor naming universal child care as a necessity for New Yorkers. We also appreciate the Governor’s recognition that this laudable goal cannot be achieved without investing significant state resources toward its achievement. The Governor’s proposal to create a child care coalition of business and union representatives has the potential to be transformational if empowered to develop bold recommendations for raising public funds to make universal child care a reality in New York State.
Missing from the State of the State address was any mention of the need to invest in the child care workforce. Raising workforce pay to enable child care programs to retain and recruit staff so they can operate at full capacity is widely understood to be the most urgent need of New York child care. In fact, the Governor’s own Child Care Availability Task Force stated in its April 2024 report and its January 2025 Roadmap for Universal Child Care, that securing a permanent state investment in the child care workforce should be the state’s top priority, noting that “workforce concerns are interconnected to cost, access, availability, and quality child care.” Read the full statement from the Empire State Campaign for Child Care.
On Governor Hochul’s Proposal to Improve New York’s Child Tax Credit:
Governor Hochul’s plan to increase the Child Tax Credit is a welcome first step in reaching New York’s child poverty reduction goals and has the potential to make a meaningful difference for families across the state. Byproviding additional financial support and making sure children in low-income families can qualify for the full credit amount, this increase can help lift children out of poverty and give hundreds of thousands of families the resources they need to succeed.
On Governor Hochul’s proposal to create a baby allowance program:
Governor Hochul’s proposal to create a statewide baby allowance program is an acknowledgement of the economic stress faced by many new families. The BABY (Birth Allowance for Beginning Year) Benefit will provide families who receive public assistance with monthly payments throughout their pregnancy plus a one-time baby allowance of $1,200 at the point of delivery.
Statement from the New York Can End Child Poverty coalition on Governor Hochul’s Proposals to Establish Free Universal School Meals and Improve New York’s Child Tax Credit:
Governor Hochul’s plan to provide free school meals to all children across New York State will help keep money in families’ pockets, while ensuring that all students across the state have access to breakfast and lunch, and can participate in school activities without worrying about their next meal. This proposal is a recognition of the stress faced by families, and a critical step to bolstering support for all New York families.
Governor Hochul’s plan to increase New York’s Child Tax Credit is a welcome first step in reaching the state’s child poverty reduction goals and has the potential to make a meaningful difference for families across the state. By providing additional financial support, this increase can help lift children out of poverty and give hundreds of thousands of families the resources they need to succeed. A robust child tax credit is one of the most direct ways to help families afford to raise children in New York State.
These proposals bring New York closer to implementing the recommendations of the Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council, which include a robust child tax credit alongside housing and nutritional supports. The Coalition continues to call on the Governor and the Legislature to build upon and strengthen the Governor’s child tax credit proposal to match that of the Advisory Council’s recommendations, and implement the Advisory Council’s other recommendations, including increased monthly public assistance grants, expanding housing supports, and strengthening SNAP benefits to ensure all income-eligible families can participate.
The New York Can End Child Poverty coalition, composed of advocates, parents, educators, pediatricians, youth, faith leaders, and others, applauds these policy proposals as critical steps toward a future where all children and families can thrive. These policies promise to transform lives, improve educational outcomes, and strengthen communities across New York State.
Background: CPRAC Recommendations Provide a Roadmap for the Path Forward
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