WASHINGTON, DC — With the rising cost of child care across New York, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand on March 11 unveiled what she said was her plan to make child care more affordable and accessible for working parents.

In 2012, New York was ranked the second least affordable in the nation for full-time day care for an infant, according to a report by Child Care Aware. A two-parent family in New York spent an average of 16.5% of its annual income on care for their infant. For a single mother in New York, the cost of care was greater than 57% of her income.

Gillibrand’s proposal includes increasing the Dependent and Child Care Tax Credit, to more than double what it is now. Currently the tax credit is worth a maximum of 35% of child care expenses, up to $1,050 per child or $2,100 for two children.

Aditionally, Gillibrand has introduced the Child Care Deduction, which would allow middle-class families to deduct the cost of child care from their taxes as a business expense.

Also Gillibrand is an original co-sponsor of the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act which, if reauthorized, would require states to devote more of their funding to quality initiatives, including training, professional development, and professional advancement of the child care workforce.