State Sen. Jabari Brisport understands the importance of making universal child care a reality for state residents. 

"A lot of parents are struggling and need relief as soon as possible," says Brisport, the chairperson of the Committee on Children and Families. 

He introduced the Universal Care Act in 2021 and is pushing for it to be included in the Senate's One-House budget resolution this month.

"It's an extremely expensive matter for parents. It's a second rent, or sometimes for some parents, its more than the cost of rent," says Brisport.

His plan calls for billions of dollars to create free subsidized child care for all low-income families, and to stabilize what he calls a "collapsing child care industry."

"It's a huge stressor and we've seen that with the roll out of [universal pre-K] for example, where we saw UPK covers until 2 or 3 p.m. and for parents…their work doesn't stop at 2 or 3 p.m. So the notion of school-aged child care after school is extremely critical," he says.

The final budget is due on April 1, and will hold the answer on universal child care in New York.

Negotiations on the budget are on-going in Albany. 

Gov. Hochul has called for an increase in spending on child care in her executive budget, but not to the level that the Senate and Assembly have in their respective budget proposals.