The program would begin in high-need neighborhoods this fall, covering roughly 2,000 children, before expanding gradually across the city over several years. Hochul said the state would fund the initiative’s first two years through existing revenues without raising taxes, and announced a broader effort to extend universal pre-K across New York state by the 2028-2029 school year, with combined near-term spending of $1.7 billion and total proposed child care and pre-K funding of $4.5 billion for the coming fiscal year.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Thursday a plan to provide free child care for 2-year-olds in the city, handing Mamdani an early political win one week after he was sworn into office. The two Democrats unveiled the proposal at a celebratory event in Brooklyn, with Mamdani framing it as proof that his affordability-focused agenda could clear the hurdle from campaign to government.
“To those who think that the promises of a campaign cannot survive once confronted with the realities of government, today is your answer,” Mamdani said.
The program would start small, focusing first on high-need neighborhoods selected by the city and covering an estimated 2,000 children by fall. Mamdani said the specific locations of the first seats had not yet been determined. The initiative is designed to expand gradually over several years until it reaches citywide availability, building on the city’s existing pre-K and 3-K programs.
Hochul said the state would cover the program’s first two years using existing revenues rather than new taxes — a fiscal approach she has consistently endorsed. She described the near-term investment in Thursday’s announcements as $1.7 billion, which would bring her total proposed child care and pre-K spending to $4.5 billion for the coming fiscal year. She acknowledged that projecting costs for future years, when the program would serve far more children, remained difficult.
The governor also announced a longer-term statewide initiative to make universal pre-K available throughout New York by the start of the 2028-2029 school year. She said she plans to include both proposals in her annual state of the state address next week and in her executive budget, which will be subject to negotiations with legislative leaders over the coming months.
Rebecca Bailin, executive director of the advocacy group New Yorkers United for Child Care, called the announcement a “historic moment,” saying: “By bringing together the Governor and Mayor around a shared commitment to child care, tens of thousands of families could finally get the relief they desperately need.”
Hochul, a moderate Democrat who faces reelection this year, has aligned with the new progressive mayor on child care but has not publicly endorsed his broader agenda. After Thursday’s event, when reporters asked her about Mamdani’s separate proposal to eliminate fares for city buses, she said: “Well, we’re focused on this today.”