Assemblymember Didi Barrett (D-Dutchess/Columbia) announced that she secured $1,000,000 in funding to support a transformative expansion of child care services at Dutchess Community College. The funding will be used to create two infant care rooms, improve safety and infrastructure for drop-off and pick-up, and significantly
expand DCC’s capacity to provide childcare services to students and families across Dutchess County.
“I’m thrilled to announce $1 million in funding for expansion of the childcare facilities and services at Dutchess Community College – an investment that will include infant care for the first time, train our next generation of childcare providers, and allow students and staff at DCC to realize their academic and professional dreams without worrying about finding and paying for quality childcare,” said Assemblymember Didi Barrett.
“Assemblymember Barrett’s leadership has made a tangible difference in addressing some of the most significant barriers our students face, including access to affordable housing and high-quality childcare,” said Dutchess Community College President Peter Jordan. “By helping to remove those obstacles, she has opened doors for more adults in our region to pursue their education, build careers with family-sustaining wages, and contribute to the vitality of Dutchess County.”
All of DCC’s childcare offerings provide safe, play-based learning environments.
The College currently offers Universal Pre-Kindergarten, in partnership with Poughkeepsie City School District, and daycare for children ages 18 months to five years at the Louis Greenspan Day Care Center, as well as preschool for children ages three to five at the June Roush Pierson Laboratory Nursery School. The new infant care rooms are expected to open in fall 2026.
