Issue 90: An interview with Assemblymember Didi Barrett

When I was visiting family in Saratoga Springs a few weeks ago, I walked by a bank with a “Childcare Loans Offered Here” sign. As I pushed my daughter in her stroller through this capitalist hellscape, I tried to feel grateful that we pay only (ha!) $400 a week for her care. That was the headspace I was in when Ashley, Genevieve, and I sat down with Didi Barrett, our assemblymember in New York’s District 106, representing most of Columbia and Dutchess Counties. Much of Assemblymember Barrett’s district is classified as a childcare desert with three or more children under the age of 5 per available childcare slot, and we see that play out in our local group texts as parents frantically plan for their baby’s care at the first positive pregnancy test.

Over the last few months, we’ve been sharing stories from guest editors familiar with the state of childcare in our area, including Linda Andrews, Kasia Donohue, and Sarah Coté-Bennett. In talking to Assemblymember Barrett, we wanted to hear the perspective of someone with legislative power to increase childcare access and affordability. She’s had a recent win in that area – $1M in funding for expanding childcare at Dutchess Community College – and we were curious about her thoughts on where our slice of the Hudson Valley can go from here, especially as we read enviously about all the progress Mayor Mamdani is making downstate. (Though apparently he’s vacationing near us this week!)

A couple surprises that I’ll call out at the top – Assemblymember Barrett and her team mentioned that they don’t hear much from working families. She also shared that she didn’t know as much about AI and its use in schools as she would like, and is committed to learning more. Considering how we have daily conversations about daycare availability, high utility bills, screen use at schools, data centers, and our children’s online footprint, we were startled that those topics aren’t making it to Assemblymember Barrett and her team. We’re committed to continuing those conversations with her and her team, and if you’d like to reach out to them directly, send an email to barrettd [at] nyassembly.gov. You can also sign up for the Assemblymember’s newsletter here to learn when her next breakfast with constituents will be.

-Maddie

This interview was edited for length and clarity.

Maddie, TSS: Thanks for sitting down with us! This is the continuation of our informal series on the state of childcare. We’re so excited about the work that you’ve already done on childcare and we’re looking forward to hearing more of what you and your team have in mind.

Didi Barrett: Thanks for your interest, and obviously, thank you for doing this work for yourselves, for your friends, for your kids.

Maddie: We’re curious – what made you want to prioritize childcare in your role as legislator?

Didi: Well, as a mom, when I was first elected, I was one of the few women in the legislature at that point. Of these issues that affect women predominantly – because, we know dads help, but somehow it always ends up being more of a woman’s focus – [childcare] was just always among the things that I’ve focused on. With more women representing some of the upstate districts, I think we’re finally getting it on the radar here. It takes a lot of work to create the equity that we should have.

We’ve been looking at [childcare] in the Hudson Valley for a long time and feeling frustrated. When the Day One Teacher Apprenticeship Pathway (TAP) started, I was really excited about the opportunities there. Building the workforce and having experienced people doing the childcare is essential. It took us up until now to get TAP to come to Columbia County. You need to have the experienced workforce.

Ashley, TSS: We also wanted to talk about the news coming out of Dutchess County surrounding investments in childcare: you secured $1,000,000 in funding to support expansion of childcare services at Dutchess County Community College (DCCC), and the Governor’s expansion of the universal child care pilot to Dutchess County. Dutchess is seeing a lot of opportunities for child care happening right now.

Didi: DCCC had a daycare center, but it wasn’t set up to have infants. Many of the other colleges around the area have their own daycare – Vassar, Columbia-Greene.

Ashley: Is that something you could see expanding into more colleges, like Columbia-Greene opening up for infants and toddlers? Because those are the slots that are the hardest to come by.

Didi: This structure might be specific to Dutchess Community College’s program and how they’re doing it, but I think there would be interest at Columbia Greene even right now, but they need the other pieces in place first, including having the teachers with the training to expand. We’re at a really hopeful spot right now in the two counties that I represent – having Day One doing the work that they have been doing and creating momentum in other parts of my district. Each time you have a successful program showing this is the way we can do this, this is good for everyone, it’s a win-win-win, then it sort of makes other colleges, businesses or other entities think, oh, we can do this too.

I’ve long harbored this fantasy of creating a child care center partnered with a senior living facility. It’s the dream, right? Families know that they have a place for their children, and the children are able to have intergenerational interaction with the people living there. We do need more facilities, and however we get them, and they’re well done, and they’re well staffed, those are great opportunities.

Ashley: Let’s talk a little about the universal child care pilot program in Dutchess County. If their universal childcare program is successful, are there talks about it expanding?

Didi: I’m looking forward to learning more about that in a meeting later today, actually, but it’s a pilot in three counties – Broome, Monroe, and Dutchess. My sense is that a lot of it is going to be left up to the counties themselves. But the question is who will own it? Does that mean the county executive? Does that mean the county legislature? Does that mean an existing child care network that’s already there? The thing about a pilot is, we hopefully learn from it and can create a model from it, but obviously every county is going to be a little bit different.

Maddie: As you were talking about who’s going to own this, I was wondering about how you see your role in enabling and supporting working families in your district, whether it’s child care or affordability.

Didi: Well, I do see my role as being there to support, to hear and be aware. I think my most important job is to listen everywhere and hear what is on people’s minds. A lot of people think they have all the answers, but they never bother listening to the questions. I would say affordability is the number one issue right now across the board, along with housing and childcare.

Did you see the Pattern for Progress report that just came out? The Times-Union had a story about it. [The report] flagged housing and childcare as the two major reasons for a huge affordability crisis in the Hudson Valley, and this is what I have been talking about. The sort of cohort that’s not in all the low-income programs, not the people who are solidly able to pay for whatever needs come along, but the people who are at that tipping point where you’re one appliance replacement, one healthcare crisis, just one big expense away from having to juggle all that stuff. I think that’s a lot of our Hudson Valley families. Obviously energy costs are a huge part of it too, but that’s where my focus is, looking to the next session and into this next election.

Maddie: You mentioned a healthcare crisis could tip someone over if they’re at that level of precarity. Healthcare costs are not only high here, but access to healthcare is really challenging, whether you’re looking for a pediatric provider, a women’s health provider, primary care, or any specialty.

Didi: It’s so frustrating to have fewer and fewer services. I have a long-time involvement in reproductive rights, so I feel that frustration of realizing here we are in this really blue state, New York, and we have very little access to services. The next step is we also have very few services for labor and delivery right here in the community. And then we’re seeing fewer and fewer pediatric providers here. We’re working hard to try to come up with a solution for Columbia Memorial and all the services they’re providing because we can’t afford to lose all that. Our biggest challenge in this region is to attract and keep young families here, and how do you do that when you’re telling them, well, you don’t have health care options here and our schools are closing?

Maddie: And they might not be moving here with a good job available locally. Maybe they’re planning on working remotely for a company that might have layoffs in their future and there isn’t that sort of same opportunity here. But in our group chats with other moms, I would say three times a day I get a message asking for a good pediatrician, a pediatric dentist, an OB or a midwife.

Genevieve, TSS: We have one mother on the group chat yesterday who says she goes to Connecticut for their pediatrician.

Didi: Are most of the moms, or a significant proportion of moms you know, working outside the house?

Ashley: I would say a good chunk, maybe the majority?

Maddie: There’s also a really strong contingent of moms who own small businesses, like you, Ashley. Moms who might freelance or consult.

Ashley: There’s a lot of entrepreneurship among the cohort of women of young children in this area that are either opening up their own small businesses in the area, or have some sort of existing business when they move here. I feel like we’re a scrappy bunch.

Maddie: We have to be a scrappy bunch. If we had more stable or cheaper health care, if we had more child care availability, we wouldn’t necessarily need to piece it together in this way.

Ashley: Yeah, a lot of it is out of necessity. My job is so flexible and it makes it really easy to accommodate the instability of childcare when I know I can move my clients around and shift my day around because daycare is closed or my kid is sick. Whatever it is this week, this month, whenever. I think that a lot of mothers in this area have really planned their life to accommodate these factors.

Maddie: [To Assemblymember Barrett] You’re getting a little sense of what our stories are and how we’re making it work, but what else are you hearing from working families? You just had a primary campaign and you’re going into an election in November – what stories are sticking with you?

Didi: We’re not hearing a lot from working families, which is why we’re happy to talk to you. They’re not volunteering to work on campaigns and ring doorbells, and they’re not out canvassing with me or, you know, doing those types of things. Of course, it’s because they’re working. Hopefully they are voting. It’s helpful to hear from you, because we have some anecdotes from people we know, like Patricia [Hanna, legislative director] who has a two-year-old. We see her world and the family support she has.

Genevieve: I do think that working families are kind of drowning.

Ashley: Maybe that’s why you don’t hear anything, because we’re just trying to go to work, pay the bills, take care of our very basic needs.

Didi: I get it. I see it with my son and daughter-in-law. They’re both working remotely, so they’re at home and their son is going to daycare. They both have high-pressure jobs and they’re juggling everything.

Maddie: Can we go back to CMH for a second, because I’m curious. I’m graduating from nursing school in December so what’s happening at CMH is near and dear to my heart, and Didi, you were talking about coming up with a solution. What do you see as some of the possibilities there?

Didi: We’re talking to all the parties, we have continued to work with the community, with [the union], and be there for all. We have a working relationship with the president and the board. The community needs the hospital there, so we’re looking at it from all the different angles. I’m not sure whether critical access is the right model or not, but we need a more robust medical presence across the region to attract families and keep them here.

Gunnar Wordon, Chief of Staff to Didi Barrett: It’s another example of where rural communities or smaller counties get the short end of the stick because part of the problem is that the hospital loses money because they’re not getting paid the full cost of the services they offer. That same hospital in New York City or in Long Island gets paid more money per X-ray, per blood transfusion, and CMH is paid less. Every year in Albany, we’re fighting to try to raise that Medicaid reimbursement rate. It’s similar to UPK, in that the formula that works for some places doesn’t work here.

Didi: Part of it is just continuing to educate the decision makers, and not that they’re even necessarily the ultimate decision makers, because a lot of this is federally mandated.

Ashley: Well, that’s just what happened with CCAP (NY Child Care Assistance Program), right? The algorithm [for allocating childcare dollars by county] wasn’t working. So you did great work advocating on behalf of Columbia and Dutchess County to give families in the area enough money to offer services for families who qualify.

I’m wondering how you see bridging the gap between more dollars coming to families to access child care and actually making more spots available. Could there be more support from the state for aging infrastructure and workforce pay for existing centers to expand or new daycare providers to start? All existing child care centers struggle, and so to get those places better able to take in more children and offer higher quality services, are there any sort of rumblings about how we can do that from the state level?

Didi: There’s always discussion about it, and I know my colleague Sarah Clark (Assemblymember for District 136) was looking for more money for childcare. I think we ended up settling, but that doesn’t mean we’re not going back for that again. I’m not sure I really want to see everything done at a statewide level, across the board – I’d rather be able to direct money either through our allocations or through a pilot project to the area in my district that needs help.

As a representative, I’m really staying aware and engaged and looking at how to be able to help with the needs that are happening in the district and what it prioritizes at different times.

Genevieve: In a perfect world, where do we start in solving the child care access crisis for working families in your two counties?

Didi: I truly believe that our biggest problem is not quite having enough people. We need to grow our cohort, and that’s why we need to keep people who grew up here and attract more young families. It’s wonderful to have all the space around us and we can both keep that open space and expand housing. We’ve got so much going for us in this area, we just need more people who recognize that and can afford to be here. That will allow us to scale appropriately, support the schools, prioritize accessible transportation, and everything else that makes this a more supportive area for young families. I’m not saying we have to expand, but we need to find the sweet spot and not lose population. We need people.

Maddie: It feels like we’re agreeing on some of these core issues, like childcare, housing, affordability, but back to Genevieve’s question, where do you start with addressing those? If you have that magic potion, if you have that blank check, what do you start to tackle first as a lawmaker?

Didi: I think you’re right. It’s housing and then childcare. Because if you can attract people here and get them into a starter home or a rental or a community that feels manageable, there needs to be the jobs to make that work. Maybe they’re working remotely or on an entrepreneurial venture at home, or the hospital needs nurses. I think Dutchess is doing a little better job at housing right now, I see there’s a lot of building in Poughkeepsie.

What do you say to friends who are trying to make these decisions about where they are going to make their forever home? Are you encouraging them to come up here?

Genevieve: It’s a hard conversation to have. We have this conversation, I think, at least once a quarter with friends here in Columbia County who are either pregnant or were pregnant or are about to be – about where to give birth. It’s shocking how limited our resources are here. When it comes to bringing families to the area or young couples who want to start their families here, that’s a tough conversation to have. Same with public schools.

Didi: What’s the vibe [with the schools] now? Are some of them getting better?

Ashley: I have very strong feelings about public education. I really believe in public education and I feel the community has a responsibility to its youngest kids - to educate them. I’ve heard from a lot of younger families in Hudson who are really investing in the Hudson School District and a lot of our friends are sending their kids to the Hudson public schools.

Maddie: It seems like a lot of that is an informal parent-to-parent campaign. It’s not coming from the city. It’s not coming from the school district. It’s coming from your fellow parent who has a kid a couple years older than yours and tells you how great the school has been for them and how they’ve seen it change.

So thinking about what technology use and AI in schools look like in some of these school districts, especially as children age. How might it make sense to regulate tech or AI use in schools?

Didi: I have to admit it’s an area I think a lot about, and I don’t have the answers. It’s something that I wish I knew more about. I do want to see it regulated and controlled in a way. I hear what the governor says – it’s a tool that we should harness to help us and to benefit people, but not have it [run us]. This is how we’re feeling about data centers as well, we don’t want them to destroy us and drain us of our own funding and resources. It’s frustrating because I do feel somehow as legislators, we were behind rather than ahead in this [one-year moratorium] that we just passed on data centers. I am very open to understanding what parents see as the threats and the opportunities [of AI], and the best way to handle them. The technology is just so much more advanced – my kids were playing Oregon Trail and games on our desktops. It was exciting when we all got our first email addresses, but it’s a whole different world now. I really do want to learn more.

Maddie: You talked a little bit about Patricia [Hanna, Barrett’s legislative director] and encouraging her to go to music class with her toddler. How else are you supporting your staff that are parents or hoping to start a family?

Didi: I think she’s the only one. Hopefully I’m supportive of my staff in all ways of what they want to do. We’re all family friendly and we talk about all of these issues together.

Gunnar: She’s being far too humble about it. She really is leading by example and understanding that life isn’t always the work world as people think it is and that life happens. She’s incredibly accommodating.

Didi: I think we are entering a new phase, maybe not new, but at least I’m more aware of it. My daughter-in-law’s law firm is nearly all young parents and part of their culture is no calls between 5 and 7pm. If you want people to have lives and want to support their families, this is how you do it. I was talking the other day with Emma [Rosenbush] at Doves. She was talking about the supportive, family-friendly culture that she’s trying to put forward there. I remember certainly when my kids were growing up, and for the handful of women who were lawyers in my generation, there just was no support for any of that. We’re seeing that shift and people raising these issues more. In our Chamber, I give the Speaker [Carl Heastie] a lot of credit. He created a child care center in the assembly. The press got all worked up about it being “taxpayer money”.

Genevieve: Well if taxpayer money is going to go to something, I’d like to see it help families.

Didi: These are young assemblymembers who have young families, and it helps them be able to do their work and helps their child be there. We’ve certainly had times where we had toddlers running up and down the stairs in our conference. We also have the speaker’s dog running up and down the stairs and other dogs, too. I think that those are all positive changes that I support from my vantage point.

Maddie: So you mentioned a few minutes ago that you didn’t feel like you were hearing enough from working families, because it’s harder for us to canvas during the work day, it’s harder for us to be involved in campaigns. I’m wondering, how can we stay engaged with the work that you and your colleagues are doing and how can we share our thoughts and opinions with you about the issues that we care about?

Didi: So I would say any number of ways. One of the things that our office does, and again, I know this is not necessarily for families, but we do a diner stop tour. We’ll go to diners across the district where we’ll spend a few hours and we’ll call the communities beforehand to let them know we’re coming. I would be very happy to be part of moms groups or have coffee or tea. “Spill the tea” in the expression of the moment. We’ve done that from time to time. I really do love to hear what’s on people’s minds.

We’re sharing what we’re enjoying for ourselves these days.

[Ashley] - This weekend my husband and I are taking advantage of his mother being in town for childcare help during a daycare closure week, and staying at Prospect Berkshires. We’re trying out the hideaway cabin with a shared bath. I’m planning on lots of pool time, dinner at Cliff House and Hilltown Hot Pies, and not falling asleep in my kid’s bed.

[Genevieve] - Ashley’s talking Berkshires, I’m hyping the Catskills. This past week my parents spent a couple nights at Hotel Lilien, the chic Catskills escape in Tannersville owned by our dear friend Liz. My parents particularly loved the staff, who were beyond wonderful and made them feel like they were all old friends. While they spent a luxurious amount of time in the hotel’s outdoor pool, they managed to emerge for jazz in the lounge at happy hour, which they reported had an excellent vibe. With leaf-peeping season almost here, this sounds like the place to be.

[Maddie] - We’re not having a third biological child, but now that my youngest is two, I’m having a hard time settling into that decision. Thank goodness that parents more thoughtful and introspective than me have been dealing with their own reckoning. Reading Taylor Black-Friesen, Jennifer Cook, and Lydia Kiesling on the topic of not having one more is providing solidarity, if not peace.

We’re sharing what’s making parenting small children more enjoyable these days.

[Ashley] - My daughter recently stayed with my parents for a week of “Mimi and Poppy camp.” She came home with my two American Girl dolls and all of their accessories - a desktop computer (think original Apple Mac vibe), roller skates, a tiny backpack with notebooks, and so much 90s nostalgia. She is very into the outfit changes and putting the dolls to sleep in Felicity’s four-poster canopy bed while I obsessively brush their hair and organize their tiny things with a tear in my eye. [Maddie - resharing this ancient essay as a “Molly who aspirationally owned a Felicity”]

[Genevieve] - This is a WILD rec, but stick with me. Years ago my sister clued me into the Whole Foods birthday cake last-minute “hack” where you get the Berry Chantilly Cake (it’s the best one) and Whole Foods will personalize it for you in-store. Without a Whole Foods near me I had to work with what I’ve got, and thus the Walmart birthday cake rec was born. Specifically, the massive pink heart-shaped cake for $25. 48 hour notice but that’s about the time when I realize I’ve forgotten to order a cake for my daughter’s 4th birthday, anyway. Don’t knock ‘til you try it.

[Maddie] - The moment I sat down at The Rosery, I had to text all my friends about this cute new coffee shop in Hudson. Owners John and Julia have set up a sweet playspace for kids where they can cuddle up with a book while you enjoy your cappuccino and housemade pão de queijo. They’re hosting a kids’ stuff swap in mid-September – keep an eye out for the official announcement.

It’s the last week of Ulster Immigrant Defense Network’s back-to-school supply drive – drop off much-needed items at Holy Cross/Santa Cruz Episcopal in Kingston before August 26th. We’ve sent 24 new backpacks from The Soft Spot – thank you to the readers who brought this event to our attention.

We live in the Mid-Hudson Valley and we’re keeping tabs on these (mostly family-friendly) events near us. If there’s another event you’d like us to share, please send it our way!

Summer Events

Thursday, August 20 - Free Movie Screening of Holes at Olana, Hudson

Friday, August 21 - Garden Explorers at Innisfree, Millbrook

Friday, August 21 - Sunday, August 23 - The Comedy of Errors at Churchtown Dairy, Hudson

Saturday, August 22 - Hudson Valley Caribbean Festival, Kingston

Saturday, August 22 - Puppet Show at Rose Hill, Red Hook

Saturday, August 22 - Summer Children’s Series: Monster Intelligence, Pine Pains

Saturday, August 22 - Handmade Pasta Class at Sweet Flower Farm, Copake ^

Saturday, August 22 - Floral Design Workshop (14+), Accord

Saturday, August 22 - Kidstock Festival at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, Bethel

Saturday, August 22 - Music Together Pool Day, Kingston

Saturday, August 22 - Shandaken Eagle Day, Phoenicia

Saturday, August 22 - Superhero Adventure Train, Kingston

Saturday, August 22 - Traveling Therapy Pigs at Cooper’s Daughter, Claverack

Sunday, August 23 - Marionette Show at Quinnie’s, Hudson

Sunday, August 23 - Community Play Lab at At Play, Rhinebeck

Sunday, August 23 - Summer Festival at Thomas Cole, Catskill

Sunday, August 23 - Family Music and Dance at Jacob’s Pillow, Becket, MA

Sunday, August 23 - Parenting in a Changing Climate workshop, North Chatham

Sunday, August 23 - Mini & Me Baking Class at Little Rye Bakehouse, Kingston

Tuesday, August 25 - Sunday, August 30 - Dutchess County Fair, Rhinebeck

Wednesday, August 26 - Waterfront Wednesday, Hudson

Friday, August 28 - Rough Notes Book Festival, Kinderhook

Saturday, August 29 - Music in the Barn at Art Omi, Ghent

Saturday, August 29 - The Typewriter Project for kids, Kinderhook

Sunday, August 30 - Family Fun Day at Sweet Flower Farm, Copake

Sunday, August 30 - Collaging the Rainbow at Storm King Art Center, New Windsor

Wednesday, September 2 - Monday, September 7 - Columbia County Fair, Chatham

Saturday, September 5 - Labor Day Weekend BBQ at Troutbeck, Amenia

Saturday, September 5 - Sunday, September 6 - Fine Art Festival, Millerton

Saturday, September 5 - Monday, September 7 - Festival of Books, Spencertown

Saturday, September 5 - Monday, September 7 - Arts and Crafts Fair, New Paltz

Starting September 12 - Catskill Mountain Music Together, various locations

Starting September 17 - Childbirth Preparation workshop at Bloom Project, Hudson

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Ongoing Events

Mondays - Songs & Stories at Ulster Public Library, Ulster

Mondays - Family Resource Center Playgroup, Valatie

Mondays - Bilingual Storytime, Hudson

Mondays - Tunes and Tales at the Red Hook Library, Red Hook

Mondays - Move + Nourish prenatal movement workshop at At Play, Rhinebeck

4th Mondays - La Leche League meetings, Chatham

Mondays and Tuesdays - Toddler Jams, Germantown

Tuesdays - Storytime with Robbie at Starr Library, Rhinebeck

Tuesdays - Family Resource Center Playgroup, Hudson

Tuesdays - Preschool Story Hour at Claverack Free Library, Claverack

Tuesdays - Creative Explorers at At Play, Rhinebeck

Tuesdays - Tiny Tots at Palenville Library, Palenville

Wednesdays - Runs with Return Run Club, Hudson

Wednesdays - Kids Yoga at Woodstock Library, Woodstock

Wednesdays - Family Resource Center Playgroup, Valatie

Wednesdays - Music & Movement at Starr Library, Rhinebeck

2nd Wednesdays - La Leche League meetings, Hudson

Thursdays - Music & Movement Storytime at the Hudson Area Library, Hudson

Thursdays - Family Storytime at Kinderhook Memorial Library, Kinderhook

Thursdays - Family Resource Center Playgroup, Hudson

Thursdays - Wiggles & Words at the Red Hook Library, Red Hook

Thursdays - Creative Explorers at At Play, Rhinebeck

Thursdays - Adult Art Club at Super Stories, Kinderhook

Thursdays - Baby & Me at Claverack Free Library, Claverack

Thursdays - Baby and Toddler Playgroup at D.R. Evarts Library, Athens

Fridays - Tunes and Tales at the Red Hook Library, Red Hook

Fridays - Family Play and Hang at Starr Library, Rhinebeck

Fridays - Art Focus Fridays at Kinderhook Memorial Library, Kinderhook

Fridays - Music & Movement at Claverack Free Library, Claverack

Fridays - Story Time at Catskill Public Library, Catskill

Weekends through October 4 - Renaissance Fair, Tuxedo Park

Saturdays - Hudson Farmers’ Market, Hudson

Saturdays - Kinderhook Farmers Market, Kinderhook

Saturdays - Art Workshop at Art Omi, Ghent

Saturdays - Art Nest at Wassaic Project, Wassaic

Saturdays - Bodie’s Lighthouse Lab at D.R. Evarts Library, Athens

Saturdays - Catskill Mountain Railroad train rides, Kingston

Saturdays - Free Maker Sessions at Super Stories, Kinderhook

Sundays - Community Group Run at Neighbor Running, Hudson

Sundays - Art Projects: Youth Painting & Drawing Classes (ages 4+) at Cone Zero, Catskill

3rd Sundays - Family Free Night at Mid-Hudson Discovery Museum, Poughkeepsie

^ = for adults

* = will likely sell out, so book soon