If your child is three years old or older and currently enrolled in the Greater Amsterdam School District, in accordance with state guidelines related to the COVID-19 response effort, the district is working with local child care providers to support essential personnel in our community. Again, please note your student has to be currently enrolled in the school district.

Those who work in an essential job as defined in Executive Order 202.6 and need care for any child to age 18 can contact the following licensed child care provider for assistance:

• Memory Lane Daycare (Jessica Dicaterino, 518-866-7109)
• Sunshine Kids (Jen Pirrone,  (518) 842-3935)  

Essential workers can also search for other child care options by program type, county and school district at the Office of Children and Family Services website.

If you have questions or need additional assistance finding child care, please call Nancy Rad at 518-843-3180 ext 1015 or email nrad@gasd.org.

April 24 – 12:30 p.m. – Update on child care funding for essential workers

New York State is using a portion of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) funds to provide child care to income eligible essential workers at no cost. Essential workers who must work outside of the home and who are using a regulated child care provider will receive a scholarship for the cost of care as long as the funds to support it are available. All licensed and regulated providers who are caring for essential workers are able to participate in this new program.

In order to qualify for the scholarship, families must have an adjusted gross income at or below 300 percent of the federal poverty level. For a family of four that equals an annual income of $78,600. 

Parents are asked to complete the following application for the CARES Child Care Scholarship via the link below. It informs parents that the application will be considered complete once the online application is finished AND the required supplemental documentation is submitted to Brightside Up, the Childcare Resource and Referral Agency (CCRA) for Albany, Fulton, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady counties. For parents that currently receive a subsidy from their local DSS to pay for child care, this scholarship can cover the parent co-pay. Parents should apply for the CARES Act Scholarship, and then contact their local Department of Social Services to get a letter stating their current co-pay. Please address any questions to Tricia Howland at thowland@brightsideup.org.

Click here for the COVID-19 CARES Child Care Scholarship Application