Requires social services districts to maintain a waiting list of families who have applied for child care assistance and data regarding the income of such families, the official text

S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   9506
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                              January 8, 2026
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. WALKER -- read once and referred to the Committee
   on Children and Families
 
 AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to requiring social
   services  districts  to  maintain  a  waiting list of certain families
   applying for child care assistance
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Section 410-z of the social services law, as amended by a
 chapter of the laws of 2025 amending the social services law relating to
 requiring social services  districts  to  maintain  a  waiting  list  of
 certain  families  applying  for  child  care assistance, as proposed in
 legislative bills numbers S. 1926 and A. 7145, is  amended  to  read  as
 follows:
   §  410-z.  Reporting  requirements. [1.] Each social services district
 shall collect and submit to the office of children and family  services,
 in  such  form and at such times as  specified by the office of children
 and family services, such data and information  regarding  child    care
 assistance  provided under the block grant as the office of children and
 family services may need to comply with federal reporting requirements.
   [2.  (a) Each social services district shall maintain a  waiting  list
 of eligible families who have applied for child care assistance pursuant
 to  this  title  and who have not received such assistance. Such waiting
 list shall contain information including, but not limited to:
   (i) the date the child care assistance was requested;
   (ii) the date the child care assistance was received;
   (iii) the age of the child or children the assistance was requested on
 behalf of; and
   (iv) the total number of families on such waiting list as of the first
 day of each month.
   (b) Each district shall issue a report to the office of  children  and
 family  services  by  October  fifteenth, two thousand twenty-seven, and
 annually thereafter detailing month-to-month information required pursu-
 ant to this subdivision  for  the  preceding  period  of  October  first
 through September thirtieth, and shall include the following:

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD05769-02-6
 A. 9506                             2

   (i) the average length of time for families on the waiting list;
   (ii)  the  number  of  families  on  the  waiting list for each of the
 following time periods:
   (A) less than two weeks,
   (B) two weeks to less than a month,
   (C) one month to less than three months,
   (D) three months to less than six months,
   (E) six months to less than a year, and
   (F) one year or more;
   (iii) the average age of children represented on the waiting list;
   (iv) the number of children represented on the waiting  list  eligible
 for each:
   (A) infant,
   (B) toddler,
   (C) pre-school, and
   (D) school-aged subsidized child care slots; and
   (v) the number of existing infant, toddler, pre-school and school-aged
 subsidized child care slots;
   (vi)  the  number  of families who would receive child care assistance
 except that they are waiting for available slots in a  particular  child
 care program; and
   (vii) other information as the district deems appropriate.
   3.  (a) Each social services district shall collect data regarding the
 income of families who applied for child  care  assistance  pursuant  to
 this title, specifying:
   (i) the number of families who were denied;
   (ii) the number of families who received such assistance; and
   (iii)  a  listing  of  the  incomes  pursuant to paragraph (b) of this
 subdivision of the families who applied for such assistance.
   (b) Each district shall issue a report to the office of  children  and
 family  services  by  October  fifteenth, two thousand twenty-seven, and
 annually  thereafter,  detailing  month-to-month  information  collected
 pursuant  to  this subdivision for the preceding period of October first
 through September thirtieth, and shall include the following:
   (i) the number of all families who applied for and received child care
 assistance pursuant to this title whose:
   (A) incomes were under fifty percent of the state median income  level
 for their family size,
   (B) incomes were between fifty percent and seventy-five percent of the
 state median income level for their family size, and
   (C)  incomes  were between seventy-five and eighty-five percent of the
 state median income level for their family size; and
   (ii) the number of all families who applied for and were denied  child
 care assistance pursuant to this title whose:
   (A)  incomes were under fifty percent of the state median income level
 for their family size,
   (B) incomes were between fifty percent and seventy-five percent of the
 state median income level for their family size, and
   (C) incomes were between seventy-five percent and eighty-five  percent
 of the state median income level for their family size.
   4.  The  office  of  children  and  family services shall compile such
 reports pursuant to paragraph (b) of subdivision two, and paragraph  (b)
 of  subdivision  three  of  this  section, into one comprehensive report
 containing all required information on a county by  county  basis.  Such
 report  shall  be provided to the governor, the speaker of the assembly,
 the temporary president of the senate, the chairperson of  the  assembly
 A. 9506                             3

 committee  on  children  and  families,  the  chairperson  of the senate
 committee on children and families,  the  chairperson  of  the  assembly
 committee on social services, the chairperson of the senate committee on
 social  services, the chairperson of the assembly ways and means commit-
 tee and the chairperson of the senate finance committee  no  later  than
 December first, two thousand twenty-seven, and annually thereafter.
   5.  Reports  issued  and compiled under this section shall not use the
 name, address, or any other identifying information of an individual who
 is the subject of the report and shall ensure  the  anonymity  of  those
 included in the reports.]
   § 2. The social services law is amended by adding a new section 410-aa
 to read as follows:
   §  410-AA.  WAITLIST  REQUIREMENTS. 1.   EACH SOCIAL SERVICES DISTRICT
 SHALL MAINTAIN A WAITING LIST OF FAMILIES WHO  HAVE  APPLIED  FOR  CHILD
 CARE  ASSISTANCE PURSUANT TO THIS TITLE BUT HAVE NOT BEEN AUTHORIZED FOR
 SUCH ASSISTANCE DUE TO A  LACK  OF  AVAILABLE  FUNDS  UNDER  EITHER  THE
 DISTRICT'S  ALLOCATION  FROM THE STATE CHILD CARE BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM OR
 ANY LOCAL FUNDS APPROPRIATED FOR SUCH PROGRAM. SUCH WAITING  LIST  SHALL
 CONTAIN:
   (A) THE DATE THE CHILD CARE ASSISTANCE WAS REQUESTED;
   (B)  THE  DATE  THE  ELIGIBILITY  DETERMINATION OR REDETERMINATION WAS
 MADE;
   (C) THE AGE OF THE CHILD OR CHILDREN THE ASSISTANCE WAS  REQUESTED  ON
 BEHALF OF;
   (D) WHETHER THE FAMILY WAS A NEW APPLICANT OR RECERTIFYING; AND
   (E) THE TOTAL NUMBER OF FAMILIES ON SUCH WAITING LIST.
   2. THE OFFICE SHALL POST ANNUALLY ON THEIR WEBSITE THE TOTAL NUMBER OF
 FAMILIES ON THE WAITLIST FOR EACH SOCIAL SERVICES DISTRICT.
   3.  (A) EACH SOCIAL SERVICES DISTRICT SHALL COLLECT DATA REGARDING THE
 FAMILIES WHO APPLIED FOR CHILD CARE ASSISTANCE PURSUANT TO  THIS  TITLE,
 SPECIFYING:
   (I)  THE  NUMBER  OF FAMILIES WHO WERE DENIED BECAUSE THEY WERE DETER-
 MINED INELIGIBLE FOR ASSISTANCE, INCLUDING: (A) THE FAMILY SIZE, (B) THE
 INCOME OF THOSE FAMILIES, WHERE AVAILABLE; AND (C) THE AGE OF THE CHILD,
 WHERE AVAILABLE;
   (II) THE NUMBER OF FAMILIES WHO WERE PLACED ON A WAITLIST,  INCLUDING:
 (A)  THE FAMILY SIZE; (B) THE INCOME OF THOSE FAMILIES, WHERE AVAILABLE;
 AND (C) THE AGE OF THE CHILD, WHERE AVAILABLE; AND
   (III) THE NUMBER OF FAMILIES WHO RECEIVED SUCH ASSISTANCE,  INCLUDING:
 (A)  THE FAMILY SIZE; (B) THE INCOME OF THOSE FAMILIES, WHERE AVAILABLE;
 AND (C) THE AGE OF THE CHILD, WHERE AVAILABLE.
   (B) EACH  SOCIAL  SERVICES  DISTRICT  SHALL  PROVIDE  THE  INFORMATION
 COLLECTED  PURSUANT  TO  PARAGRAPH (A) OF THIS SUBDIVISION TO THE OFFICE
 ANNUALLY. THE OFFICE SHALL RE-POST THIS  INFORMATION  ON  THEIR  WEBSITE
 UPON RECEIPT.
   §  3.  Nothing  in this act shall be construed to require local social
 services districts to maintain waiting lists  for  dates  preceding  the
 effective date of this act, or to collect data pursuant to subdivision 2
 of section 410-aa of the social services law, as added by section two of
 this act, for persons who applied for subsidized child care prior to the
 effective date of this act.
   §  4.  This  act  shall  take  effect on the same date and in the same
 manner as a chapter of the laws of 2025 amending the social services law
 relating to requiring social services districts to  maintain  a  waiting
 list of certain families applying for child care assistance, as proposed
 in legislative bills numbers S. 1926 and A. 7145, takes effect.