Child care is no different. It’s the work that makes all other work possible. For too long, child care has been viewed solely as a “family issue.” It’s time that we recognize that child care is a business issue, as well.

It is an economic driver as fundamental as broadband or utilities. When child care is scarce, productivity stalls and businesses hemorrhage revenue. Nationally, this costs the economy $122 billion annually. Locally, it creates a ceiling on our growth, preventing skilled workers from entering the labor market and forcing others to leave it.

This is why the Birth to Three Alliance and the Warren County Economic Development Corporation are encouraged by the significant investments in child care and early learning in the New York state executive budget. The governor proposed a $1.2 billion increase for the Child Care Assistance Program, or child care subsidies. This is a 40% increase from last year to the critical program that assists families in affording child care and child care businesses in being sustainable. Budget proposals also include additional support to ensure truly universal pre-K for all 4-year-olds across New York by the start of the 2028-2029 school year.

The proposed investment in CCAP would be critical to stabilizing the system — keeping parents working and programs open. However, funding is only the first step. Child care is a complex system, and a “one-size-fits-all” approach does not work for New York. Here in the Adirondack region, the majority of providers are home-based or in small centers. We face unique hurdles, especially regarding transportation and economies of scale.

The proposed state investment is a historic opportunity, and we are leaning in to ensure its success here at home. To meet this moment, the Adirondack Birth to Three Alliance and the Warren County EDC are building a coalition of child care experts and business leaders to develop models that fit our region’s specific needs.

We are pairing our advocacy for this state funding with the local expertise required to put it to work. By bringing together the people who understand our workforce and those who understand early childhood development, we are creating a roadmap for a regional system that is both sustainable and accessible. This collaborative approach ensures that when these state resources become available, the North Country is ready with a clear vision and the local partnerships necessary to turn state resources into a reliable, long-term engine for our workforce.

This helps everyone. For every dollar invested in early childhood programs, property values and community returns increase significantly.

Access to high-quality care is a recruitment tool for major employers and a magnet for young families looking to buy homes.

Child care is also a business sector in its own right. By supporting it, we are supporting local, small business owners who provide these essential services.

We cannot have a 21st-century economy with a 20th-century approach to family support. To attract talent and sustain our businesses, we must build a bridge to the future that families can actually cross. That starts with funding, supporting, and prioritizing child care as the economic engine it truly is.

(Kate Ryan is the director of the Adirondack Birth to Three Alliance at Adirondack Community Foundation. Learn more at adirondackbt3.org. Jim Siplon is thepresident of the Warren County EDC. Learn more at edcwc.org.)