New York Senator Jessica Ramos Announces Plans to Introduce Proposal for Universal Childcare at Berkeley College Women's Empowerment Awards

Mon Oct 25, 2021

NEW YORK SENATOR JESSICA RAMOS ANNOUNCES PLANS TO INTRODUCE PROPOSAL FOR UNIVERSAL CHILDCARE AT BERKELEY COLLEGE WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT AWARDS CEREMONY

“We should be able to drop off our children in a safe place at any point of day for any reason,” said Ramos

Photo Caption: Jessica Ramos, Senator, New York State, shared remarks at Berkeley College’s Women’s Empowerment Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, October 20, 2021, at Berkeley’s Midtown Manhattan, NY, campus. The event honored more than 100 women leaders who have spoken at Berkeley College’s annual Women’s Entrepreneurship Week conference since 2015.

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Jessica Ramos, Senator, and Chair, Committee on Labor, New York State, announced her intentions to establish universal childcare in New York during the inaugural Berkeley College Women’s Empowerment Awards ceremony on Wednesday, October 20, 2021. The ceremony, held at the College’s Midtown Manhattan campus, was part of a three-day Women’s Entrepreneurship Week (WEW) summit titled “The Future is Women.”

“I will be introducing a proposal for universal childcare for New York state,” she said. “We should be able to drop off our children in a safe place at any point of day for any reason.”

Lack of access to childcare, which has impacted women’s participation in the workforce throughout the pandemic, is a key issue that was raised by lawmakers and policy experts throughout the WEW conference. According to the National Women’s Law Center, more than 2.3 million women left the workforce between February 2020 and February 2021.

“If there was anything that the pandemic highlighted for us, it was the need for childcare,” said Ramos, who admitted to struggling to find appropriate childcare for two sons in the past. Click here to watch a clip of Ramos’ remarks.

A Celebration of Pioneering Women
Since 2015, Berkeley College’s annual WEW event has created a space to acknowledge the achievements of pioneering women and encourage the next generation of innovators. Ramos was among those honored at the Women’s Empowerment Awards ceremony for “Inspiring Future Leaders.”

“(It is) really important to create spaces where women feel welcomed,” Ramos said of the conference. “These conversations are really important for us to have in our communities and certainly in our institutes for higher education.”

Ramos represents the 13^th District of New York, which includes the Queens neighborhoods of Corona, East Elmhurst, Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, and parts of Astoria and Woodside. She was joined by fellow State Senator Alessandra Biaggi, Chair, Committee on Ethics and Internal Governance, who represents the 34^th District of New York, which includes parts of the Bronx and Westchester County.

Awardees also included New York Governor Kathy Hochul; Wendy Garcia, Chief Diversity Officer, New York City Office of the Comptroller; Gale A. Brewer, Manhattan Borough President; Council Member Helen Rosenthal; and Heather Briccetti, President and CEO, The Business Council of New York State. Click here to view the full list of 2021 Women’s Empowerment Award recipients.

Berkeley College celebrates its 90th anniversary in 2021. The theme commemorating this milestone is “Empowering Lives for 90 Years!” Visit the 90th Anniversary webpage for more information.

About Berkeley College
Berkeley College, founded in 1931, is a career-focused institution accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education that offers students Master’s, Bachelor’s, and Associate’s degree and Certificate programs in more than 20 career fields. The College also offers continuing education programs to enhance career credentials.

Berkeley College has campuses in Midtown Manhattan, NY, and in Newark, Paramus, Woodbridge, and Woodland Park, NJ, with more than 4,000 students enrolled. In addition, Berkeley College Online® serves a global population. U.S. News & World Report has named Berkeley College among the Best Colleges for Online Bachelor’s Programs and among the Best Online Bachelor’s Programs for Veterans, for eight consecutive years. U.S. News & World Report named Berkeley College (NJ) one of the Best Regional Colleges in the North in its 2022 edition of the Best Colleges Survey. In 2021 Berkeley College (NJ) was also recognized for the first time as a Top Performer on Social Mobility among colleges in the region. The website address is www.BerkeleyCollege.edu.

The mission of Berkeley College is to empower students to achieve lifelong success in dynamic careers.