A nurse, a parent, and a citizen is “frankly, furious”
An OPINION By Clayton Hulin, RN, Parent, Former Allegany County Resident
I was born and raised in Allegany County. I live just over the line in Cattaraugus now, but I still call Allegany home. It’s where I grew up, where I learned what it means to show up for your neighbors, and where my roots run deep. I write this not just as a nurse or a parent, but as someone who still believes rural families deserve more than scraps from Albany.
That’s why I’m deeply concerned, and frankly, furious, about what’s happening with child care funding in Allegany County and across New York State.
When Allegany County Legislator Gretchen Hanchett says families are being told to either pay hundreds more per month or pull their kids out of care, she’s not exaggerating. She’s sounding the alarm (Hanchett, 2025). Read Hanchetts full statement here: When Promises Aren’t Funded, Communities Pay the Price – THE WELLSVILLE SUN
This isn’t just a budget problem. It’s a system failure.
As a Nurse: I’ve Seen the Consequences Firsthand
Children are not just small adults. When we strip away access to early childcare and education, we increase the risk of developmental delays, emotional distress, and long-term health impacts. I’ve cared for kids who missed critical early support, and I’ve seen the emotional toll on parents trying to hold it all together without help.
As a Parent: This Isn’t About Convenience. It’s About Survival
Child care isn’t a luxury. It’s infrastructure. It’s what makes it possible for parents to work, for children to thrive, and for communities to stay afloat. Without subsidies like the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), working families face impossible choices: take on more debt, quit their jobs, or leave children in unsafe conditions.
One Allegany County mother recently said:
“We qualified for help, but there was no provider left to take us. I had to leave my job to care for my child” (Hanchett, 2025).
This is the real cost of underfunding: broken families, lost wages, and closed doors.
As a Citizen: This Is a Cultural Failure, Not Just a Fiscal One
New York State raised the income threshold for CCAP mid-year, expanding eligibility without expanding funding. That might look good in a press release, but on the ground, it forced 21 counties (and counting) to freeze CCAP enrollments and recertifications due to lack of funds
In Allegany County, allocations rose from $318,000 in 2020 to over $1.1 million in 2025, but even that wasn’t enough to meet the surge in need. Without guaranteed funding going into the 2025–26 fiscal year, the county faces a $400,000 shortfall and cannot continue supporting working families (Hanchett, 2025).
When state leaders expand programs without expanding resources, they’re not solving problems. They’re handing counties the bill and walking away.
The Ask Is Simple and Urgent
- Fully fund CCAP to meet current demand
- Stop shifting state costs onto county property taxpayers
- Treat child care as essential infrastructure, not an afterthought
Allegany can’t carry this alone. Neither can Cattaraugus, or Steuben, or the other counties now forced to turn families away.
This is a statewide issue. It requires a statewide solution.
If you’d like to stand with families and providers, do as Legislator Hanchett asks and call Governor Hochul’s office at 518-474-8390.
Demand that child care be fully funded in the 2025–26 budget. Our children and grandchildren can’t wait.
