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Westchester, Explained 23: Helping Westchester Families Afford Child Care · This Week in Westchester: The Podcast

• 0:06
  SPEAKER_01: Hi Westchester.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_01: I'm Westchester County Government Communications Director Katherine Chaffee.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_01: And as an extension of This Week in Westchester, the podcast, we welcome you to Westchester Explained.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_01: In this episode, we explore how Westchester County is helping working families access safe and affordable child care through programs that make it easier to balance work, school, and family life.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_01: We sit down with Westchester County Director of Operations Emily Saltzman to discuss the County's Child Care Assistance Program, the Westchester Works Scholarship Program, and other initiatives that are expanding access to quality child care while supporting parents and strengthening the local workforce.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_01: We also examine why affordable child care is more than a family issue.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_01: It's an economic issue that impacts employers, communities, and the future of Westchester County.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_01: Join us as we take a closer look at the resources available to families, the county's commitment to investing in children, and working parents, and why it matters to Westchester residents.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_01: Because this is Westchester explained.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_01: So let's begin.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_01: So in the podcast studio today, we have our director of operations, Emily Salzman.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_01: Emily, thank you so much for joining us.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for having me.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_01: So there's many, many topics that we could talk about because your hands touch many, many different areas of the county.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_01: But what we're here to talk about today is childcare in Westchester County and the role that the government plays in that space.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_01: So first let's just start from the very beginning.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_01: Childcare has become a much larger conversation.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_01: Would you say this started during the pandemic, after the pandemic?
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: First of all, thank you so much for having me.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: This is an important topic.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: I myself am a working mom.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: Kids are grown now, but we know how important this is for Westchester families.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: I think that the child care challenges became more apparent after COVID.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: As it turns out, and was documented in a report by the New York State controller, the number of childcare providers had been going down.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: And then what we saw during the pandemic, when most of them had to close for that time, a very, very challenging situation as they tried to reopen, and many people just didn't return to the profession.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: So one of the issues in New York State certainly has been a supply and finding affordable, available childcare.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: And another issue that has gotten a great deal of coverage recently is cost.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_01: So, and and you mentioned you're a working mom.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_01: I'm a working mom.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_01: I lived through the childcare years.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_01: And to your point, when you're living it, your whole world revolves around childcare.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_01: It's it can be very overwhelming.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: And for the eligibility levels that our programs have, and we'll get to that in a moment, these are families who are working hard and every dollar counts.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: So it's a very, very challenging situation to afford the child care that they need to continue in their education, their work, or their training activities.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_01: So overall, um at a broad stroke, what does the county do in the child care space?
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: So I am so proud of Westchester County.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_00: We really have a range of programs to support working families.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: First, I'll touch on the direct programs that we have.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: So Westchester has two programs.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_00: The first is the Child Care Assistance Program that is referred to as CCAP.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: That's a program that we do support with county tax levy, but most of the funding is federal funding passed through to us from the New York State Office of Children and Family Services.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: The eligibility levels and many of the other rules in that program are set by New York State and we administer it.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: In 2026, we are on track to support approximately 5,100 slots.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: The eligibility levels have increased in the past couple of years and now go up to 350% of the federal poverty level.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: That means for a family of four, that's an income of about$115,000.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: That program, the eligibility, the wage, and other criteria are set by the state, and the applicant must be working in a training program or in school.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: The eligibility level has gone up quite a bit.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_00: It used to be about 200%.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_00: So this certainly enables us to offer this to more families.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_01: And it is, you know, just to pause there for a minute, because there are some people uh just call us bade a spade outside of this area who might hear$115,000 and say that's a lot of money.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_01: That's a lot of money for a family four.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_01: But the reality is where we live in the New York metro area, in Westchester County, that in some respects is not.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_00: It's not a lot of money to have to then pay for child care as well.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_00: I think the United Way, in their Alice report, has documented that incomes that sound high and would be high in other places barely cover the needs of health care, transportation, food, housing, and child care for families.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: If you have to pay with a full price for child care, it's just it's an ex it's an exorbitant amount of money.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_00: It is.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: And the wonderful thing about this program is that the state rules are that the families pay 1% of their income over the federal poverty level.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: So for most families in the program, that's about$65 a month.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: So a very heavy subsidy that really enables them to afford the child.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_01: Let's just say that again, because you know, my kids have not been in daycare in many years, but I know what I paid.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and it wasn't$61 a month.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_01: So let's just say that again.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_01: How much is it?
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_00: It's a it's an average of about$65 a month for the CCAP program.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_00: And certainly it was a goal of New York State, which set the eligibility levels to make this low cost for families in this income category.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: And so it is a very heavy subsidy and it's a great opportunity for our working families and our low-income families to have safe, affordable, reliable child care.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_00: I do want to say that most of this care is either center-based care or home-based care, meaning you're taking your child to someone's home.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_00: Those are, that's the child care that it supports.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_01: Which is great, which is which is great on many different levels.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_01: It's a great opportunity for the kids to be with other kids, to be learning, to be socializing.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_01: And then to your point, the parents can go to work with peace of mind, knowing that their child is being well cared for and and loved.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_01: These centers, these, these caretakers love these children.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_01: So I think that's important to highlight.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_01: And you said 5,100 slots, um, though that means 5,100 children, not 500 families.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_00: Correct.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_00: Some families have more than one child in the program, and some have just one.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_00: So terrific.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_00: That that is the number of children being served through this.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_00: An incredible program.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_00: And now there's another program.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_00: So Westchester County has a program I think is unique among counties in New York State.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_00: It began in 2007 when our boss, County Executive Jenkins, was on the Westchester County Board of Legislators.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_00: And he told me that they had done a survey of child care providers who found that many families were overincome for this program, but still needed support to afford child care.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_00: So the Westchester Works Scholarship Program was created in partnership with the Child Care Council of Westchester.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_00: And that program continues on today.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_00: We have a contract with the Child Care Council, provide the county tax levy funding, and they do the eligibility and support.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_00: It is not support at the levels of the CCAP program, and the income eligibility is a little bit higher.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_00: And what is it?
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_00: So at this time, we are talking about going up to 400% of federal poverty.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_00: It has gone back and forth given with child care and with child care slot predictions, it's not a straight line.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_00: Some months are higher, some months are lower, sometimes family situations change.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_00: So I can't tell you the number this month will be exactly the same as the number next month.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_00: So we are looking at um what we'll do to get finished up 2026 and going forward to 2027.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_00: So it's higher than 115, but it's not, I mean, it's it's I guess it's a a big chunk higher, but it's still a family of four in that case would be have an income um ceiling of$132,000.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_00: And again, as you said before, these are working families in Westchester County.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_00: So the subsidy is very, very meaningful to people.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_01: And so, you know, what is it that I mean, first of all, these are tremendous programs and they're helping many, many families, and we are immensely proud of them.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_01: But we also recognize that childcare is an issue and it's an issue for many, many more people beyond this program.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_01: So these programs are doing great work.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_01: What do you hear from families?
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_01: Do you do you hear the benefits of these programs?
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_01: I'm sure you must.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_00: We absolutely do.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_00: We know that the families in the scholarship program, but both programs are so greatly appreciative of this support.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_00: The support, in many cases, makes it possible for them to have safe and affordable child care and continue to work or go to school or be in a training program.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_00: We also support the child care council with about half a million dollars in county funding to do some of the other activities.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_00: They do information and referral, technical assistance for providers, and of course the administrative costs of the child care program.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_01: Let's pause that for a second because everybody might not know about the child care council.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_01: So, can I mean obviously we work for the county, we don't work for them, but can you explain what it is?
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_00: So they are an information and referral and advocacy sort of one-stop shop for information about childcare in the county.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_00: So they have resources for families, resources for childcare professionals, and resources for businesses as well.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_00: So their website is childcarewestchester.org.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_00: They have a great leadership team, Laura Newman, Michael Goldman, and we work very, very closely with them.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_00: And they're hearing the stories from parents day in and day out about the challenges.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_01: So if if a parent is listening and they wanna they need help, they want to learn more, they're overwhelmed, they're overwhelmed because that's what that time of your life is like, they can reach out to the Child Care Council and get some guidance and direction?
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_00: I would also say if you think you might be income eligible, New York State Office of Children and Family Services has an online calculator.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_00: So you can go on and see am I eligible for a program?
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_00: And then you can reach out to our Department of Social Services.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_01: Now, are these the only two programs relating to child care that the county's focusing on?
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_00: I would also add in our Invest in Kids program, which is run by the Youth Bureau.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_00: We have 63 programs that we're funding with about$3.1 million of county tax levy.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_00: And those are generally after-school programs that support positive youth development.
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_00: And they serve kids over five.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_00: Many of them skew to slightly older kids, the middle school age, but they are in many cases a great place for kids to go after school.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_00: So that's aftercare.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_01: Aftercare, which is a which is a whole other parent struggle.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so these programs, the Invest in Kids aftercare programs, the two child care programs, are they concentrated in one part of the county?
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_01: Are they all over the county?
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_00: No, that's really the beauty.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_00: They are all over the county.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_00: In with um in the case of the Invest in Kids program, they're in many not-for-profits or local youth bureaus in all corners of the county, the cities, the towns, the villages.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_00: And the funding for the child care programs doesn't have to be in a specific area.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, terrific.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_01: Now, something that um, you know, comes up quite a bit in this conversation about child care is that yes, we are doing this for the children, but we're doing this also for the parents and especially the moms.
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_00: Can you talk a little bit about that?
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_00: I think knowing that your kids are safe, you and I can attest, is the most important thing and enables you to focus on other things.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_00: So I think that one of the things, important things that uh is done by both the state and the child care council.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_00: The state is the regulatory entity for child care facilities.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_00: And one of the issues with child care is that it's heavily regulated, staffing levels, supplies, everything is heavily regulated as it should be.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_00: It's dealing with children.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um where the childcare council does work with a lot of providers to deal with um the issues for them.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that that is an important thing for people to know that childcare, registered child care that you know would participate and be eligible for these programs is supported by state regulations.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_01: And it also um, these are also programs that help our local economy here in the county because people are able to work with that peace of mind that you mentioned.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_01: Is that something that is being looked at that we're seeing the benefits of?
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_00: I think we are seeing better conversations around childcare as both an economic development entity.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_00: There are home-based providers, and this is their source of income.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_00: They have child children come to their home, they're registered, licensed, et cetera.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_00: And that means that for the families, it's taking your kids to childcare in the neighborhood, which is fantastic when you can do that.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_00: I think businesses, now that we're in a post-pandemic environment where many people have returned to work all or some of the time, have seen that childcare is an essential component of a workforce, especially a workforce that includes women.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_00: Women are not only the people worrying about child care, but we know they are many of the people worrying about it.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_01: It does really allow women to be in the workforce in a much stronger way when they have quality childcare and they feel safe and they feel supported.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_01: So it's it's a huge benefit for children and for women for sure.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um, what do you think is the biggest misconception about these two programs that the county is supporting?
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_00: I would hope that people realize there's a good chance you are eligible and always best to apply and see.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 16:29
  SPEAKER_00: So that's first and foremost, is that it isn't only for one group of people, one income.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_00: Um, the second is that there are supports even if you aren't eligible.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_00: So it's always, you know, contact uh an organization like the child care council if you've just moved here or if you've just had a child, and you're wondering what your opportunities might be.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_01: I think that's really important to highlight because um there's there's no harm.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_01: You lose nothing by just asking, by going to the income calculator on the website.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_01: There's no drawback to just inquiring.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_01: So check it out.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so moving forward, you know, is there one thing that you really want Westchester families to know about what the county's commitment is to child care?
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I think it is a leadership commitment by having a scholarship program.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_00: And it is also a financial commitment for us.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_00: We have a number of priorities that we are always addressing in our funding for human services programs.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_00: But the county, through direct staffing as well as supporting these programs, is putting county tax levy money toward these programs as well.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_00: I must say we are very fortunate that the funding from New York State has increased and the federal government has increased.
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_00: And that has enabled us to expand from about 2,200 slots before the pandemic to the number where we are this year, a huge increase.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 18:11
  SPEAKER_00: I also would say that whether it's word of mouth or greater knowledge, this has led to more people becoming aware of the program.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_00: And so that's a great thing.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_00: So first and foremost, I hope people know that we as a county are leaders in this space and doing everything that we can to support Westchester families.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_01: And I think it's important to highlight also that um, yes, we we work here on the ninth floor and we're we're, you know, working on many different programs in the county.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_01: But um the county executive and many members of a senior team, you and I included, are working parents and have spouses that work and have children and have have lived, have walked this walk and know how important it is, which is why I think the county executive and uh and all of us are are so committed to the program because you know the benefits of good child care.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_00: I think um, you know, I I wouldn't have been able to do some of the things that I did in my career if if I hadn't had that.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_00: So absolutely, and I I must say, and just in case anyone who knows me hears this podcast, yes, my children are grown and older and working now, do not have a toddler at home, but I know how important it is.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_00: And I know that this is a county looking at, for example, the housing growth.
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_00: The housing growth is in apartments.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_00: We're gonna have a lot of younger people moving here, having their first child here.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_00: And the child care, the opportunities for child care will be essential to our growth, not just as a wonderful county to live in that you and I know so well, but as a wonderful county to work in.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_01: So let's just go over those two programs one more time because they really are so impactful and doing such important work.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_01: I want to make sure everybody hears the eligibility and what they are.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_01: So the first is the county's child care assistance program.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_01: We're serving about 5,100 children.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_01: And depending on your income, the income eligibility is$115,000 a year for a family of four.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_01: And you would roughly pay about$65,$65 a month per child for childcare.
• 20:29
  SPEAKER_01: Um, anything else people need to know about that program before we move on.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_00: I just want to say that while I'm very happy to promote it, we probably cannot support every person who is eligible for the program.
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_00: So apply, get your name.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_00: If there is a waiting list, we get on it.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_00: Get on the waiting list.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, because peep as I said before, people's lives change.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but we are, we are, we have um more than doubled the capacity.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_00: So I can't say we're in a position to double it again.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_00: But even if you do reach out and are told that you have to be on a wait list, it's still That's okay.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_00: Get on it.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_00: Get on the wait list.
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_01: No, that's a huge point that I really want to make sure everybody listening hears is that don't listen to this and say, I'm never gonna get into the program.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_01: It's never gonna happen.
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_01: Go to the email, go to the website, fill out the application.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_01: There's a wait list, get on the wait list.
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_01: It's okay.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_01: You never know what could happen.
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_01: And it's also good for us to know how many more people are interested in this program because that could potentially, who knows?
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe that will um it's good for us to have that knowledge and we will hopefully maybe be able to expand.
• 21:43
  SPEAKER_01: Who knows?
• 21:43
  SPEAKER_01: But get on the wait list.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_01: So let's definitely highlight that.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_01: The other program is the scholarship program.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_01: So how many children are we roughly serving there?
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's hard to say.
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_00: It'll be somewhere between 250 and 300 slots for this year.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: Again, that is administered by the child care councils.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_00: I'll go to their website to apply.
• 22:07
  SPEAKER_00: And again, a similar thing.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_00: Families come, go, things change.
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_00: If they have a waiting list as well, it's great to be on that as well.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_00: And we also have at times served people on a waiting list from one program in another.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_00: So get on the wait list for that one too.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_01: Get on both.
• 22:29
  SPEAKER_01: Do everything you can.
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and as far as the programs for older children, where can residents go to learn about those?
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_00: I think their local um not-for-profits have the information.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_00: You could start with a youth bureau that's in your community or other uh local um or the youth bureau's website.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_01: So they can go to the General County Youth Bureau, your local youth bureau, or even the school district probably can call the school district, and I'm sure they would have the information relating to this, no matter where you live in the county.
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um, anything else we need to know about these programs?
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_00: I would say that, you know, I do want to stress that what our county DSS does, and they are so hardworking and great, the staff in our Department of Social Services, is they assist the families with eligibility, authorizing hours, working with providers, and authorizing payments.
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_00: So it is something that we have a good number of staff focusing on to assist these programs.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_01: They're doing great work in that department.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_01: And um, and and here we are talking about childcare because we are many of us are working parents, even though some of our kids are grown up now and we're committed to this.
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, as I said, I myself was not really aware of how much we did until I came to work for the county in 2018.
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_00: And I am so proud of how much support there is for child care here in Westchester.
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_00: Wonderful.
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much.
• 24:05
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_01: So for anybody who is listening and wants to learn more about these programs, doesn't know where to start.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_01: There are two websites that you should go to.
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_01: The first is go to WestchesterCountyny.gov and look for the Department of Social Services link, and you will find that information there.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_01: And the second website you can go to is, of course, the Westchester Child Care Council.
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_01: Any questions, you could always call Westchester County, and we're happy to help you.
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_01: That number is 914-995-2900.