On May 27, 2026, the Governor signed into law the 2026-27 New York State Enacted Budget. Schuyler Center’s Last Look is our initial assessment of the enacted State budget and how it advances priorities that improve the health and wellbeing of all New Yorkers, especially children and families living in poverty. The dollar amounts included in this document—and all of Schuyler Center “Looks”—reflect budget appropriations, or “spending authority.” Appropriations tell us the maximum spending authority permitted by the State, which is often much greater than what the State actually spends. Actual state expenditures are more closely reflected in the financial plan which will be released in a few weeks.
This year’s budget makes key investments that will support children experiencing poverty but will likely not be bold enough to protect families from the full impact of federal cuts and rising costs. The Enacted Budget makes meaningful investments in child care, including record funding for child care assistance, pre-K, and universal child care pilot programs, and includes new protections for immigrant families, some new funding for legal services, and inclusion of New York City in funding for Raise the Age services. It does not include new investments in health coverage, nutrition supports, Early Intervention Services, and WIC funding.
“I was afraid of having a child because of the financial responsibilities…I took maternity leave, and the number one thing that I recognized to be a consistent problem is food—always figuring out what to do, how can we feed her? [Now with WIC] it’s just a lot more enjoyable having access [to fresh fruits and vegetables].”
– United for Brownsville Parent
Few public health programs have earned their place the way WIC has. Decades of research, billions of dollars in documented savings, and generations of healthier children make the case plainly: WIC works. As federal support for families erodes—with cuts to SNAP, Medicaid, and other safety net programs—New York’s WIC program stands out as exactly the kind of investment the state should be doubling down on: proven, cost-effective, and life-changing for the families it serves. But WIC is at a breaking point, and without action in this year’s budget, the progress New York has worked hard to achieve is at risk.
The Nation’s Original “Food Is Medicine” Program
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) has delivered one of public health’s best track records for more than five decades. WIC provides pregnant and postpartum parents and children under five with tailored nutrition packages, breastfeeding support, nutrition education, and connections to health and social services.
The evidence is overwhelming. WIC improves birth outcomes, reduces infant mortality, prevents childhood obesity, and closes disparities in infant health. Every dollar invested generates an estimated $2.48 in savings through lower medical costs and better long-term outcomes. Last year, WIC-prescribed purchases brought back $540 million federal dollars into New York’s local economies.
For families who rely on it, the impact is deeply personal. As one mother shared, “My children wouldn’t be eating healthy food if it weren’t for my education and assistance from the WIC program. I am a young mom who had lots of questions over the years, I was always treated very well by people who genuinely cared and wanted to help.”
New York Is Leading
New York deserves credit for its commitment to WIC. More than 462,000 New Yorkers now participate—the highest level in a decade and a 28% increase since early 2020, compared to 10% growth nationally. That expansion came from evidence-based policy: increasing the fruit and vegetable benefit, allowing remote appointments, and investing in strategic statewide outreach.
But local WIC agencies have not seen meaningful funding increases in a decade. The federal formula hasn’t kept pace with New York’s rising caseloads or costs. The funding system was designed to support 443,000 participants through 2028; caseloads surpassed that in early 2024. Since 2022, the ratio of participants to qualified nutritionists has grown 24%—now sitting at 656 to one.
WIC at its best means a nutritionist with time to sit with new parents, food packages tailored to a family’s needs, and agencies equipped to reach the families not yet enrolled. That is what adequate funding makes possible—and what New York’s agencies are straining to deliver as caseloads grow and resources lag.
The Cliff Is Coming
Federal waivers allowing remote WIC appointments—a key driver of New York’s enrollment growth—expire at the end of this fiscal year, adding new strain to already-stretched agencies. Without additional state funding, those agencies will face an impossible choice: scale back services, delay time-sensitive appointments, or maintain waiting lists. Every option puts agencies out of compliance with WIC policy—and means families that could have been served, weren’t. An estimated 200,000 eligible New Yorkers aren’t yet enrolled. With federal cuts to SNAP and Medicaid deepening hardship, WIC has never been a more essential backstop.
Albany Can Fund What Works
The solution is clear: $30 million in additional state funding for WIC in the FY 2026–2027 budget—to stabilize local agency operations and support outreach to connect those 200,000 still-eligible New Yorkers to the program.
Thirty million dollars is a fraction of what WIC returns—in healthier babies, stronger families, lower healthcare costs, and more resilient local economies. In a budget season defined by difficult tradeoffs, this is one of New York’s clearest bets.
New York should be proud to lead the nation in growth in WIC participation. Now it must lead by making that growth sustainable. We urge Governor Hochul and the NYS Legislature to include $30 million for WIC in the final FY 2026–2027 budget—because the perinatal, postpartum, and pediatric patients who depend on this public health nutrition program cannot wait, and because investing in their earliest years is one of the best things New York can do for all of us.
Authored by the NYS American Academy of Pediatrics, Hunger Solutions New York, United for Brownsville, WIC Association of New York State, Community Health Care Association of New York State, New York State Public Health Association, New York State Perinatal Association, and the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy.
Update, 4/23/26: Negotiations between the Governor and Legislative leaders on a package of proposals to protect immigrant New Yorkers from federal immigration enforcement actions have taken center stage in recent days. On April 16, Governor Hochul released a proposal that includes expanded sensitive location protections which prohibit all state, local, and school employees from permitting immigration authorities access to any non-public area of a state-owned or operated facility without a judicial warrant. Schuyler Center welcomes the proposal’s extension of protections to privately-owned and operated sensitive locations, including child care programs, hospitals, schools, housing accommodations, and houses of worship—spaces where families must be able to access critical services without fear.
We are concerned that the governor’s proposal on local law enforcement coordination with federal immigration authorities does not go far enough to protect New York children and families.
The proposal would still allow significant cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration agents by authorizing local law enforcement to report a New Yorker to federal immigration upon a determination of “probable cause” that they committed a crime. Probable cause determinations are subjective, and can be susceptible to racial and other biases. This proposal would leave many New Yorkers at risk of being turned over to immigration enforcement and separated from their families before they have their day in court, particularly those in communities in which local law enforcement has pre-existing agreements with immigration enforcement.
We applaud New York leaders for making protecting immigrant New Yorkers a top priority, and we urge them to enact a strong final package that includes the full protections of the New York for All Act.
More than 1.4 million children in New York State live in immigrant families. That’s more than 1.5 times the size of the entire New York City public school system, the largest in the country. An estimated 324,400 New York children live with at least one undocumented family member. These are children in our classrooms, our child care programs, our communities.
With increased immigration enforcement activity and ICE presence in communities across the nation, and here in New York State, many of these children face the unthinkable reality of being separated from a parent, grandparent, sibling, or other family members. In most cases, they don’t know where their family member is or if they will return home.
The impacts of family separation on children are devastating and lasting: long-term health and psychological harm, significant income loss, and, in the most acute cases, children entering the foster care system. But the harm doesn’t just begin at the moment of detention or deportation. The chilling effect of enforcement is keeping families away from the programs and benefits they’re entitled to—pulling back from schools, health care, food assistance, and community life. When caregivers live in fear, children pay the price.
New York State has the power to change this, and we need our leaders to act now.
The New York for All Act (S.2235A Gounardes/A.3506A Reyes) would direct state and local officials to refrain from engaging in federal immigration enforcement activity or sharing sensitive information, including data, with federal authorities, except where explicitly required by federal law. It would also prohibit federal immigration officers from entering non-public areas of state and local property—including DMVs and social services offices—without a judicial warrant. This matters because fear of encountering immigration enforcement in the very spaces where families seek food, health care, and support is what keeps people away from services they need and to which they are entitled.
New Yorkers need the State to pass legislation that clearly precludes local governments from engaging in federal immigration enforcement activity and prohibits federal agents from accessing non-public government spaces or sharing personal data. We need the full New York for All Act, not a partial version that leaves too many doors open.
Passing New York for All is essential, but it can’t stand alone. Unlike in criminal proceedings, immigrants facing deportation have no guaranteed right to an attorney, meaning parents and caregivers are forced to navigate a complicated legal system alone. The data is stark: non-detained individuals without legal representation are 2.5 times more likely to be removed than those with representation. We urge Governor Hochul, Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, and Speaker Heastie to pass both the Access to Representation Act (A.270 Cruz) and the BUILD Act (S.4538 Liu/A.2689 Cruz)—assuring that no immigrant New Yorker faces that system without support, regardless of their ability to pay.
Keeping families together is a moral imperative and an investment in the health, stability, and future of New York’s children. Every day without action is another day families live in fear.
All children should grow up free from the stress of poverty. Robust tax relief for New York’s families is among the most effective and equitable ways for the State to fulfill its commitment to reduce child poverty and build economic opportunity for all families. Cash benefits for families—particularly for those welcoming a new child—provide flexible support when their need is greatest.
The Challenge
For far too long, too many families across New York State have faced economic hardship. New York’s child poverty rates have been among the highest in the nation for nearly a decade; families across the state struggle to afford essentials like housing and food.
What We Know
Research shows that cash and near-cash benefits (such as refundable tax credits) improve families’ economic stability, child development, and parent and child health.1
In fact, when the Federal Child Tax Credit was temporarily expanded in 2021 in response to the Covid-19 crisis, child poverty rates dropped dramatically, both nationally and in New York State.2 Congress allowed the expanded Federal Child Tax Credit to expire, ending that relief for families. One year later, child poverty rates nationally and in New York State surpassed pre-pandemic levels; two years later, they remained essentially unchanged.
The U.S. Census Bureau measures poverty two ways. The Supplemental Poverty Measure is considered by many experts to be more accurate and comprehensive because it takes into account family resources and expenses not included in the official measure, geographic variation, and the value of in-kind benefits like food assistance, subsidized housing, and tax credits. In contrast, the official poverty measure looks solely at income, without regard to other incoming resources, or varied costs. Source: U.S. Census Bureau. (2022)
Additional, reliable income helps families meet household needs. Surveys conducted during the pandemic-era expansion of the Federal Child Tax Credit found that the most common ways families used the additional funds were for food, child care, school-related expenses, and to pay down debt.3
Progress Made
New York State expanded its Empire State Child Credit in the State 2025-26 Budget, increasing the amount and eliminating the income phase-in that had previously excluded New Yorkers with very low incomes from receiving the full credit. This expansion was recommended by the Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council, the body convened in 2021 to guide the state to achieve its statutory commitment to cut child poverty in half by 2031, and built upon an expansion implemented in tax year (TY) 2023 to include children under age 4 in the credit. In tax year (TY) 2023, 1,451,132 Empire State Child Credit claims were filed; 2,429,901 children received the credit; the average credit amount for a family with two children was $572. 4
The increase in my family’s child tax credit will help me afford the things my children need throughout the year: child care during a school break, winter coats, or helping put food on the table without sacrificing the mortgage payment.
- Parent, Schenectady
State Policy Solutions
To continue making progress toward its child poverty reduction goal, New York can and must strengthen tax relief and expand cash benefits for families by:
Increasing the maximum Empire State Child Credit amount to $1,500 per child per year for children under 18, as recommended by the Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council, to meaningfully impact family budgets and reduce child poverty;
Indexing the credit to inflation so families receive the full value of the credit over time;
Investing in free tax preparation assistance and public awareness campaigns to ensure families receive all tax credits to which they are entitled; and
Exploring expansions of the new BABY Benefit and other cash benefits to provide more support to families facing affordability challenges
All children and families in New York—no matter their income, race, immigration status, or the community in which they live—should have access to nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and cultural traditions, fortifying them to lead healthy, active lives.
The Challenge
Too many New York families struggle to put food on the table. In 2023, roughly 1 in 5 New York children (19%) experienced food insecurity—meaning they sometimes or often didn’t have enough to eat.1 Experiencing hunger as a child can have lasting impacts, including an increased risk of obesity and developmental and mental health challenges.2 The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)— the nation’s largest and most effective anti-hunger program—was subject to federal funding cuts and administrative changes beginning at the end of 2025. The changes are expected to cause more New Yorkers, including children, to endure hunger.
What We Know
Child hunger in New York is common and widespread
Lack of access to adequate food affects children across the state, in urban, rural, and suburban communities. Some counties face disproportionate rates of food insecurity—particularly Bronx and Kings counties, which have some of the highest populations of Black and Latino residents. Across the state, food insecurity occurs disproportionately along racial lines: 26% of Hispanic New Yorkers, 25% of Black New Yorkers, and 9% of white New Yorkers reported food insecurity.3
SNAP benefits are being reduced or eliminated for many.
In New York, SNAP provides nearly 3 million people— about 1 in 7 New Yorkers—with nutritional assistance, totaling $7.35 billion in benefits in 2024. More than 52% of SNAP participants are in families with children.4 Despite a large body of evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of SNAP in increasing food security and improving health outcomes, the federal government recently imposed federal funding cuts and policy changes expected to cause hundreds of thousands of New York families to experience a reduction or elimination of their benefits.
A growing number of immigrant families are barred from SNAP.
Federal law has long excluded many immigrant families from participating in SNAP due to their immigration status, including roughly 64,600 New York families with children in 2024 who were income-eligible but excluded from SNAP due to their immigration status.6 With the passage of the July 2025 federal tax and budget reconciliation bill—H.R. 1—an additional 41,000 lawfully present refugees, asylees, and other immigrant New Yorkers are expected to be newly excluded from SNAP.
Demand for WIC consistently outpaces funding.
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is a federal program designed to ensure expecting parents, infants, and young children have access to sufficient food and other supports. WIC has been shown to improve health outcomes and alleviate food insecurity at critical moments in a child’s development.10 While a growing percentage of eligible residents are enrolled in WIC, nearly 40% of eligible New Yorkers are still not participating due to a lack of awareness, administrative barriers, and limited funded capacity.11
To increase participation, New York strategically implemented a federal waiver that allows participants to attend WIC appointments virtually, including regular health and nutrition check-ins, dramatically improving accessibility. However, due in part to the success of this approach, many WIC sites across the state now operate beyond their funded capacity. This leaves local programs struggling to meet demand, see clients in a timely manner, and retain necessary staff
State Policy Solutions
Invest state funds to make food benefits available to all income-eligible residents regardless of immigration status or ability to meet work reporting requirements.
Provide resources to transition SNAP benefits to a secure chip card to prevent the theft of SNAP benefits.
Engage in outreach and support to ensure young people formerly in foster care and others newly subject to SNAP work reporting requirements can meet them.
Increase state funding for WIC to help local programs serve more children and families.
Address the underlying causes of food insecurity among New York’s children by undertaking systemic changes that put more money in families’ pockets, such as raising the minimum wage, strengthening the state child tax credit, and implementing universal child care
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