About 3,000 New York City families are currently waitlisted for child care vouchers despite a huge funding boost from both the city and state, according to city data. That’s far fewer than the tens of thousands of families who would have been shut out of the voucher program without the added funding. But child care advocates say the number of children who remain on the waitlist for low-cost child care or after-school coverage underscores the growing affordability crisis gripping local parents. Most cannot afford child care costs, which can average $18,000 or more a year for an infant or toddler, according to the city comptroller.
