Local County Providing More Assistance with Childcare

Securing childcare is one of the major hurdles for working parents, especially when children are young. Recent changes in eligibility for aid have made many more New York families able to get financial assistance to pay for care for their children but many families remain unaware that they can get help. Many other families don’t know how to go about applying. Schenectady County Cares is a new online portal that helps families get assistance. Paying for help is just part of the hurdle. Finding providers is another challenge. The Schenectady County Cares portal is trying to address the shortage of providers by offering information and assistance to make it easier for people to become certified as childcare providers. In this episode of Upstate Issues, Diane Donato talks with County Legislator Michelle Ostrelich and Department of Social Services Commissioner Paul Brady about the new initiative and why it is vital for the community at large.