New Initiative Brings $1 Million in Wage Support to Westchester Child Care Workforce

A new pilot initiative aimed at strengthening Westchester County’s child care workforce will invest $1 million in supplemental wages for early childhood educators over the next three years.

Funded by BCW member The New York Community Trust, the program is designed to help child care centers retain qualified educators by providing additional compensation in a field that has long struggled with low wages, staffing shortages, and increasing competition from employers offering higher pay and stronger benefits.

Through the initiative, as many as 100 early childhood educators will receive an hourly wage supplement of $2, with payments capped at $350 per month for up to three years. The funding will support educators at three nonprofit child care centers: Lois Bronz Children’s Center in White Plains, Mount Kisco Child Care Center in Mount Kisco, and Elizabeth Mascia Child Care Center in Tarrytown.

“Westchester cannot solve the affordability crisis without confronting the workforce crisis at the center of child care,” said Laura Rossi, Vice President for Westchester at The New York Community Trust. “Early childhood educators do essential, highly skilled work, yet too many are paid wages that make it impossible to stay in the field. This initiative is designed to test a direct, practical solution: raise wages, stabilize classrooms, support working families, and build the evidence policymakers need to enact lasting change.”

The grants will be distributed over a 40-month period and paired with an independent evaluation to measure the program’s effectiveness. Researchers will examine educator retention, hiring trends, workforce stability, and financial well-being, while also assessing how reliable access to child care impacts employers across Westchester through factors such as employee attendance, retention, and productivity.

The program was developed following a six-month planning process that included input from child care providers, advocates, business leaders, and elected officials, along with research into similar wage support initiatives operating in several states. A task force led by members of the Westchester County Board of Legislators will oversee the program and review its outcomes.

“As a parent of young children, I know firsthand the difficulties of accessing quality, affordable child care,” said Westchester County Legislator David Imamura. “This initiative is an important step for Westchester’s working parents and the local economy.”

State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins also praised the initiative, noting that workforce recruitment and retention remain among the most pressing issues facing the child care sector. She highlighted the program as a meaningful continuation of earlier efforts to strengthen early childhood education and recognized county leaders for advancing the initiative.

The New York Community Trust, the region’s largest community foundation serving New York City, Long Island, and Westchester, distributes approximately $200 million in grants annually through charitable funds established by individuals, families, corporations, and foundations.