Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
Q&A
Council Member Adams questions OMB Director on child care voucher costs and waitlists
0:31:01
·
3 min
Council Member Adrienne E. Adams engages in a Q&A session with Jacques Jiha, Director of NYC Mayor's Office of Management and Budget, regarding child care voucher expenditures and waitlists. Jiha provides uncertain responses about projected costs and plans to address waitlists, citing the need for further assessment and collaboration with ACS.
- The projected cost for child care vouchers in FY 2026 is estimated between $1.5 billion and $2 billion, but exact figures are uncertain due to various assumptions.
- The administration acknowledges the existence of waitlists for child care vouchers but does not present a clear plan for their elimination.
- Jiha emphasizes the need to cap the program and gain a full understanding before making decisions on expanding or addressing waitlists.
Adrienne E. Adams
0:31:01
At the preliminary budget hearing with ACS, the commissioner indicated the agency projected its child care voucher expenditures for fiscal year twenty twenty six at between $1,500,000,000 and $2,000,000,000.
0:31:15
Is that still the projected cost and can you please explain to me the calculations for how this cost was derived and why the range is so broad?
Jacques Jiha
0:31:26
Again, it's based on certain assumptions that are made and again, as I said, I would defer to ACS to provide you more explanation.
0:31:37
But based on our own calculation, we believe that we we'll we'll get the resources that we need to make sure that the needs are met by the department, by the mayor make the decision that this is such a critical program that we have to fund this program to make sure that the needs of the parents are met.
0:32:03
So again, we'll continue to work with ACS to assess how much is needed, as I said, and based on the guidance that will be provided to them by the state, and we'll make an assessment in the future of what their needs are.
Adrienne E. Adams
0:32:18
So you agree with the commissioner that the projection is still 1,500,000,000.0 and between 2 1.5 and 2,000,000,000?
Jacques Jiha
0:32:26
Again, as I said, it's so many moving parts, you know, but based on our discussion of ACS and where we are, we will work with them to do an assessment of the program.
0:32:36
Again, these forecasts are based on assumptions, you know, and any change in the assumptions could change the numbers.
0:32:46
So what we commit to, the mayor has made the commitment that this is so critical for parents that we will be working with ACS to make sure that if there is a need we will begin we'll address those needs as we go throughout the year.
Adrienne E. Adams
0:33:01
Okay.
0:33:02
Along those same lines, at the preliminary budget hearing with ACS, the commissioner indicated they weren't processing new applicants and putting children on waiting lists.
0:33:12
At the executive budget hearing, sorry, the commissioner said the agency was working with OMB to include more money, so families currently receiving a voucher would keep them.
0:33:24
What is the plan, and does the administration still intend to put families on waitlists?
0:33:30
What plans does the administration have to eliminate waitlists, and how much money does it project this to cost?
Jacques Jiha
0:33:37
Yeah, we have a waitlist and as I said, as we go forward we continue to assess the program because at this moment in time we can't tell you fully what's gonna be needed to take care of the waiting list.
0:33:52
Again, because so many assumptions in terms of how many people are going to be what's going to return to in terms of people on cash assistance, what's going to be the uptake.
0:34:02
We don't know a lot of pieces, so we do an assessment.
0:34:06
As I said, there's a commitment on the part of the administration to make sure that parents have the resources that they need.
0:34:13
So we're just gonna continue to work with ACS to see what are the needs and also work with the state.
Adrienne E. Adams
0:34:18
Is there a plan, though it doesn't sound like there is, is there a plan to actually eliminate the waitlist or is this just indefinitely?
Jacques Jiha
0:34:26
No.
0:34:26
They work on a plan to, you know, get rid of the waitlist, but to begin with we have to make sure we cap the program to get a full grasp of what's going on to begin with, okay?
0:34:36
And once we have a grasp of what's going on, then we'll make a decision in terms of how we're gonna push it going forward.