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By Diego Ramos / Original to ScheerPost
Just a week after being inaugurated, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, along with New York Governor Kathy Hochul, unveiled a new plan to expand free and subsidized childcare not only in NYC but across the state.
In the city, a new program called “2 Care” expands on Former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s 3-K project, providing childcare for 2-year-olds as well as strengthening the current program in the city.
Starting in September, the program is set to target “high-needs” areas first before expanding across the city. Hochul is committing to funding the first two years of the program.
“For decades governors have promised some sort of child care but never delivered,” Hochul says. “The era of empty promises ends with the two of us now.”
The governor also announced a plan to invest $1.2 billion in child care subsidies for low-income families in the city as well as $4.5 billion statewide which, according to an ABC 7 report, “includes working with community-based day cares, increasing family vouchers by 40% and working to expand pre-K in areas upstate.” Hochul also expressed interest in establishing universal child care statewide by 2028, which would include Pre-K access to all 4-year-old children in New York State.
These investments, according to Hochul’s office, are set to create access for 100,000 more children statewide.
Rebecca Bailin, executive director of New Yorkers United for Child Care, an universal child care advocacy group, said in an emailed statement to Newsday, “This plan reflects what families have been fighting for, including a statewide Pre-K guarantee and funding for 2-Care.”
“It offers a real path to making New York affordable for working families,” Bailin said.
One of Mamdani’s most prominent and ambitious campaign promises included “free childcare for every New Yorker aged 6 weeks to 5 years, ensuring high quality programming for all families,” according to Mamdani’s platform.
While this program isn’t a full manifestation of Mamdani’s campaign vision, it is a step closer to achieving true universal child care in New York.
“None of this would be happening if [Zohran Mamdani] hadn’t campaigned on his ‘impossible’ vision for universal childcare,” Former Mayor Bill de Blasio posted on X.
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Diego Ramos
Diego Ramos, ScheerPost Special Projects Editor and New York bureau chief, is a journalist from Queens, NY. He graduated from the University of Southern California in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He has previously worked at BuzzFeed News and was managing editor of Annenberg News at USC. He’s covered and researched myriad topics including war, politics, psychedelic research and sports.