POUGHKEEPSIE – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand visited Day One Early Learning Community in Poughkeepsie on Monday to highlight $1.2 million in congressionally directed spending that she secured for Day One to expand affordable daycare options for low-income Dutchess County families. In July 2020 Gillibrand, then Lt. Governor Hochul, and others joined Day One in declaring Poughkeepsie a “Daycare Desert” at a press conference outlining her plan for “Childcare is Essential”, calling for $50 billion in federal funds to stabilize daycare affected by the COVID pandemic.
Day One Early Learning Community is a preschool in Poughkeepsie that serves low-income children and families with the mission of providing the best early learning opportunities in New York State, with affordable access for all children and families.
With the funding announced on Monday, Day One will hire seven new staff members, open new classrooms, and serve 40 percent more students, whose families might not otherwise be able to afford high-quality daycare, according to Gillibrand. The senator was joined by Dutchess County Executive Sue Serino and City of Poughkeepsie Mayor Yvonne Flowers, as well as Town of Poughkeepsie Supervisor Rebecca Edwards, Geraldine Laybourne, and Dr. Julie Riess. Laybourne and Riess are co-founders of Day One.
“A shortage of affordable childcare providers in the Hudson Valley forces too many working parents to make the impossible choice between going to work and taking care of their kids,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Today, I’m proud to highlight this $1.2 million in federal funding that will help Day One provide a lifeline to more families in Dutchess County, offering low-cost early childhood education to dozens of families in the region.”
Poughkeepsie Mayor Yvonne Flowers, a proponent of affordable daycare, said “Too many children who should have more supervision are being left home alone because parents are struggling to find adequate and…
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