Zohran Mamdani, New York Governor Pitch Free Childcare For Two-Year-Olds
The proposal is the first major policy win for Mamdani, who centered his historic campaign on making New York City more affordable.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a new investment to provide free childcare for all two-year-old children in New York City, fulfilling part of Mamdani’s campaign pitch to offer universal care for children between the ages of six weeks and five years old.
Hochul’s office did not share details of how much the plan will cost or how the state will pay for it in a release on Thursday but is expected to answer questions about the proposal alongside Mamdani at an event in Brooklyn later today.
“There’s one thing that every family in New York can agree on, the cost of childcare is simply too high,” Hochul said in a statement.
New Yorkers United for Child Care, an advocacy group, has estimated a universal care program for the city’s two-year-olds would likely cost about $1.3 billion a year when fully operational.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani, mayor of New York, speaks after being administered the oath of office during an inauguration ceremony at City Hall in New York on Jan. 1.
Hochul had considered a corporate tax increase as one of a menu of options to raise state revenue to fill potential budget gaps and pay for programs, including the childcare initiative. Mamdani’s campaign estimated the full cost of his universal childcare program at roughly $6 billion to $7 billion a year, which he said could be funded by raising taxes on New York’s wealthy and other levies.
Under the newly announced plan, the state will fully fund the first two years of a universal child-care program for New York City’s two-year-olds, Hochul’s office said. But the program would be implemented in phases, focusing on “high-need areas selected by New York City” in its first year and expanding to serve all families across the city only in its fourth year.
The proposal is the first major policy win for Mamdani, who centered his historic campaign on making New York City more affordable. Childcare is often one of the highest expenses for families, with the average cost of center-based care for infants and toddlers reaching $26,000, according to a 2025 report from the city’s comptroller.
New York City already offers universal pre-kindergarten for the city’s four-year-olds and has some seats for a 3k program enacted under former Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Hochul’s office estimated the proposal would cover an additional 100,000 children in New York.
Some school districts in the state have had free universal pre-kindergarten programs for four-year-olds for years, but other districts still lack access, Hochul said.
Under the new plan, Hochul promised more funding for existing pre-kindergarten seats and pledged to expand the program to all school districts statewide by the 2028-2029 school year, at an estimated cost of roughly $500 million.
