Overview
The Alliance for Quality Education (AQE) has demonstrated what’s possible when lobbying and electoral strategies work together.
At the beginning of 2026, Governor Kathy Hochul proposed a historic increase in child care funding as part of a broader plan aimed at reaching universal child care statewide. By May, New York had enacted a state budget that increased child care and pre-K funding significantly.
Behind that progress was AQE and years of sustained advocacy for children and families, backed by support from Impact Fellows Action Fund.
A Strong Start
“Usually, we never get to start off a budget with a win,” said Zakiyah Shaakir-Ansari, Co-Executive Director of AQE. “Not from a governor anyway. Usually, we have to strategize.”
This year was different. The governor’s own executive budget led with a major investment in an issue AQE and its partners had spent years pushing for.
The enacted budget ultimately included a $1.7 billion increase for child care and pre-K and laid out a path toward universal child care across the state.
Putting Kids First
The high cost of child care affects families across party and socioeconomic lines. In New York, working families grapple with some of the highest costs in the country. Subsidizing care for young children requires significant investment, and there are many competing priorities.
Child care gained new prominence during New York City’s 2025 mayoral race, helping elevate the issue and increase attention to the challenges families face.
Moving Child Care to the Forefront
AQE saw an opportunity and moved quickly, connecting the New York City conversation to a statewide one. At the same time, Governor Hochul was heading toward her own reelection campaign and facing a primary challenge.
As Marina Marcou-O’Malley, AQE’s Co-Executive Director, explained, “The governor was facing a primary challenge for her own re-elect, and she realized she needed to move in our direction on child care as a result of that.”
Governor Hochul did move. Her executive budget made child care a major component of her affordability agenda and marked a significant shift for advocates who were accustomed to beginning the budget process from a very different position.
The Muscle That Was Missing
For years, New York’s child care advocates had strong research, strong coalitions and strong public support. In recent years, they have also expanded their ability to connect sustained advocacy with legislative and electoral advocacy activities.
“Having C4 funding specifically around child care turned out to be the muscle that was missing in prior years from our campaign,” Marcou-O’Malley said. “It allowed us to connect our lobbying activity to our electoral activity.”
That connection gave AQE another way to advance its priorities for children and families. With support from Impact Fellows Action Fund, AQE strengthened its capacity and put it to work.
Progress and Challenges Ahead
The final FY2027 budget included significant new investments in child care and early education, including expanded child care assistance, new infant and toddler pilots in three counties and continued progress toward universal pre-K.
For AQE, the final agreement represented progress while still leaving critical priorities unresolved. The organization welcomed investments that will expand access for families, particularly the new pilots in Broome, Monroe and Dutchess counties. It also raised concerns about the lack of adequate investment in the child care workforce and the continued need for resources to help families access care.
Those gaps have kept AQE’s work moving forward. Thousands of children remain on child care waitlists, and providers continue to face workforce challenges. AQE is continuing to advocate for investments that will build on this year’s gains and move New York closer to a child care system that works for all families.
The Work Continues
New York’s child care investment was achieved in part by years of sustained traditional advocacy from organizations working to elevate the needs of children and families. AQE’s ability to connect policy advocacy for lobbying and electoral activity gave the organization additional tools to advance those priorities even farther.
As Shaakir-Ansari put it, “This work is hard. It is not easy, but join us because we need more of you in this fight, in this struggle. I don’t care if you’re Republican, independent, Democrat, whatever it is. If you care about children, if you care about families, come join this fight with us. We need you.”
New York is showing what’s possible when advocates have the resources and flexibility to use multiple strategies in pursuit of better outcomes for young children and families.