Commentary: For children and families, state support for nonprofits is a lifeline 

With federal funding uncertain, safety-net services are relying on New York to provide stability.

By Brian Parchesky February 4, 2026

The federal court ruling extending the block on a threatened federal funding freeze is a win for children and families across New York. For now, essential support remains in place. But the court’s temporary decision, issued Jan. 23, also highlights how quickly children’s lives can be disrupted when federal policy injects uncertainty into the systems that support them.

New York has long been a national leader in investing in children and families through child welfare and child care services. These investments are not abstract policy choices; they are lifelines that keep families together, stabilize communities and ensure children grow up safe, supported and able to thrive.

That is why the recent attempt to withhold critical federal funding should concern every New Yorker.

In January, the federal government announced restrictive conditions on several key funding streams New York depends on: the Child Care and Development Fund, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and the Social Services Block Grant, triggering legal challenges from New York and other states.

Although the court ruling temporarily keeps those funds flowing while the legal process plays out, we’re seeing disruption across the human services sector anyway. It underscores a painful reality: When funding is uncertain, children and families suffer, even before any final decision is made.

For organizations like ours, and for the children and families we serve, this is not a theoretical debate about budgets or bureaucracy. It is about whether preventive services remain available to families before crises escalate. It is about whether parents can access child care so they can work. It is about whether children receive support early enough to avoid entering foster care or juvenile justice systems.

Counties invest in preventive services upfront and are later reimbursed by the state, which in turn relies heavily on federal funding to sustain the system. This structure allows local governments and nonprofit providers to plan responsibly, hire and retain staff, and deliver services consistently.

When the flow of federal funding becomes uncertain, even temporarily, counties may have no choice but to slow or scale back services. Nonprofit providers may be asked to carry financial risk they are not equipped to absorb. And families already navigating poverty, trauma or instability may lose access to the very supports designed to keep them together.

At Together for Youth, preventive services account for more than half the work we deliver across New York. We partner with counties statewide to provide family support, mental health services, youth development and other critical interventions.

We welcome the court’s ruling, but a temporary pause is not the same as a solution. Providers, counties and families remain in a state of uncertainty while this fight plays out in court. Lasting stability must be restored.

Children and families should never be used as leverage in policy disputes. When families lose support, children pay the price.

New York has shown what is possible when we invest early and consistently in children and families. We cannot afford to move backward, not now, and not at the expense of those who need stability the most.