NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WKBW) — When Niagara County first announced a waitlist for child care subsidies, I started meeting with families and providers to understand what that would mean.
A federal funding freeze announced by the Trump administration could impact key social services in New York State, including child care assistance programs relied on by many low-income working families. While county and state leaders say they are still assessing the local impact, advocates warn the timing could not be worse.
READ MORE: Trump administration plans freeze of social services funds in Democrat-led states
For child care providers like Veronica Griggs, the issue isn’t just about budgets; it’s about keeping families working.
"Not only are the parents going to be hurting, but us providers, that’s our job," Griggs said. "You need these parents to have some place to have their kids taken care of."
Some parents fear being forced into impossible choices. Jacqueline Castillo Blaber said the loss of assistance could push families out of the workforce altogether.
"It’s going to force a lot of working-class families to decide if one parent needs to exit the workforce," she said. "What are the consequences of that when it comes to paying utilities, paying bills?"
Those fears are now heightened as uncertainty grows around federal funding for child care assistance, SNAP, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
WATCH: Federal funding freeze raises new concerns for child care in Niagara County
CEO of the Western New York Women’s Foundation, Sherri Scavone, says the ripple effects would be felt far beyond individual households.
"The low-income working families that need every little bit they can to get by... the emotional strain on these families and on child care providers and small businesses is enormous," Scavone said. "And we’re going to pay as a community."
Scavone says women are leaving the workforce at the fastest rate in decades, and child care providers — many of them small, women-owned businesses — are already operating on thin margins.
The Trump administration has cited concerns about fraud as a justification for the funding freeze.
County leaders say they are still working to understand how the federal freeze could affect Niagara County specifically.
