Okay, thank you so much.

Okay, good morning.

Nancy Barr, co-chair of the task force.

Shall we?

And um, and we're really excited today.

Um, I'm gonna uh I guess I should first just mention uh take a two minutes.

We have two of the legislators here with us.

Eric Pierce, Joel Williams Johnson, and we um and we also just sort of went around the table and and introduced because we were having technical difficulties, and you didn't want to wait any longer, but we are really excited today to have with us the commissioner of the Office of Children and Family Services from New York State, also formerly our chair of our or our director of our youth bureau of Westchester County.

Um, and uh we're really thank you so much for coming today.

Uh, we really appreciate your taking time out of your very, very busy schedule to be here with us.

And um, we have uh an unusual circumstance in that we have everyone around the table, and usually we have lots of people online as well, but apparently whoever was coming came in person.

So that's great.

Um so I you know, whenever you're ready, you can do your formal introduction of yourself and of uh the program today.

Okay, thank you.

It is always great to be home and again looking around the room, having work with most almost everyone here.

Um it is just it's always happy.

It's like a homecoming, right?

Bestchester we represent and John said, no, right.

I mean, we are we're always touting the great work of Westchester County.

So it is always a pleasure, and I appreciate when folks from my own own county reach out.

Um as I often open up by saying, and OCFS, I now have twinkle to wrinkle, where that is and wrinkles on my face that have accumulated over the last two and a half years, but uh it truly is a dynamic organization, and for those who don't know, um OCFS has very broad oversight of the local departments of social services, which there are about 58 throughout New York State.

So that covers a whole lot, and I learned so much from our great DSS here, um, which in my mind is a true model, and I am not kidding.

Um, I've met wonderful commissioners, deputy commissioners, associate commissioners, senior staff from local departments of social services.

But again, the innovation that comes out of Westchester County is always stellar and always uh prized upon when we gather and what and and we'll when we're having conversations, particularly around reforms, which is what I am keenly looking at as it relates to social services as well as junior justice.

I just wanted to compliment our staff, which I know you already know that uh are just doing amazing work.

So thank you.

Hi, you know, again, from Niagara down to Ageborough, Long Island.

I've been traveling probably about three to four times a week this year since the top of the year.

And it's a privilege to meet so many people, but also to champion the good work of Governor Holkle, her accomplishments since 2021 taking office have just been astounding, particularly when you look back at some of the other um accomplishments of it.

When there have been many of our other leaders, but as it relates to our space uh regarding child care and positive development and supports the families, uh the data does demonstrate that she has done far uh exceedingly well with with what she's doing.

Um I want to also thank those who are here from the child care council.

Um we could not do this work and try to build uh upon the goal really to universal child care and other partners in the room like Tiffany who who offer child care services in nonprofit organization and the other nonprofits throughout the county just been very much relied upon as we were to expand the footprint as it relates to childcare.

And of course, Kathy, you've swung the bat for decades as it relates to expansion for child care, and you know, you met served on our CRP, which I appreciate, which is our citizen review panel.

Um, and again, I could go along around the room looking at Luca, looking at you know other organizations that really do support the work of New York State.

Would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge Frank Frank.

Frank has been a leader again for so many.

And we're going to talk a little bit about fatherhood.

I know that that's something that the legislature is also talking about.

We're trying to replicate some of the things we've learned here in Westchester County and expand that net as well.

So I'm gonna dig right in, and I think the slides are queued up.

This presentation, some of you have sat through the budget road shows as we call them.

So I I wanted to make sure that that we limited the number of slides because there's a lot to talk about, areas that I cover that I probably know the least about, like the governor's uh auto insurance and DOT and highways, and we're all proud of that.

Uh, but for the purpose of this meeting, uh I wanted to just make sure I kept to the areas of interest here.

Erica, it's so good to see you.

I mean, you know, I'm just looking around growing up.

Don't want to miss anybody, but but but it's just I can't I can't help it.

Um, Nancy, you know, so much great work we've done together.

Um so let's start with her slogan, which is your family, my future, your future my fight.

I often say her fight because uh, you know, I have to give credit where it's due in terms of all of the accomplishments that New York State has uh actualized, but also as it relates to OCFS.

Next slide.

We're gonna talk about this year's budget and what that means for child care.

Obviously, there's been a historic investment across the board when we look at the child care assistance program.

We've seen a three billion dollar increase, which represents for us at OCFS a 40% year over year increase.

Um, and it's obviously has tremendous impact.

There's a number of opportunities that the governor has a set of sights on to uh seize so that we can build a hopefully universal child care system.

Um you probably those of you who are dealing with child care know that you know the the state will have wait lists at times.

Uh the infusion of these resources helped to open up those wait lists.

There's obviously some restrictions that you know um we have in terms of local DSS where we must allow certain families in for child care assistance.

Uh, beyond that, you know, really it's about the resources in the community.

And once again, Westchester County um is one of those areas that that does very well in this space, and it wouldn't be made possible without the legislature also supporting the, you know, I've talked openly about my experience with the child care um the scholarship that I was received, thankfully by the board of legislators way back then, 20 years ago.