Israel Visits Glen Cove to Talk Affordable Day Care

Congressman Steve Israel visited Kids by the Bunch Monday to announce legislation he said would increase the Dependent Care Credit for middle-class families with child care costs.

Israel, D-Huntington, is proposing a bill to address what he called a disparity in child care tax credits for middle-class families. Current law allows a 35 percent credit for costs up to $3,000, or $6,000 for two or more children, for children younger than 13 whose parents work or go to school.

That credit only applies to families making up to $43,000 per year, however. Those that make more get a 20 percent tax credit.

Israel's legislation, dubbed the Middle Class Dependent Care Fairness Act, "will remove that unfair disparity so all families can access the 35 percent tax credit, nearly doubling the credit for many families on Long Island," according to a statement from his office.

"Families on Long Island already face some of the highest costs-of-living in the country, and child care costs are a big contributor to this equation," Israel said. "Middle-class families in our communities should be able to claim the full tax credit for their child care expenses, and parents should not feel like they have to choose between entering or leaving the workforce to pay for child care. It’s not good for the economy to force mothers or fathers to leave the workforce because they can’t afford child care. This legislation will allow families to keep a little more of their hard-earned salaries while ensuring their kids have access to top-notch care.”

New York State has the highest child care costs in the country, according to the National Association of Child Care Resources & Referral Agencies. The group compares costs to those in Mississippi: child care for 4-year-old children average $11,585 in New York, almost three times the $3,911 per child in Mississippi.

For center-based infant care, the average is $4,591 in Mississippi and $14,009 in New York.

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