Hochul and Mamdani unveil free child care plan in New York City

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City parents would have access to free child care for their 2-year-olds under a plan unveiled Thursday by Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the first step for the mayor in delivering on a signature campaign promise.

The two Democrats announced the proposal at a celebratory event in Brooklyn a week after Mamdani was sworn in – marking an early political victory for Mamdani, who has faced questions over whether he will have the state support needed to enact his ambitious affordability-focused agenda.

“To those who think that the promises of a campaign cannot survive once confronted with the realities of government, today is your answer,” he said.

Hochul, a moderate who is up for reelection this year, has been aligned with the city’s new progressive mayor on his free child care plan, though questions remain on precisely how the program will take shape and what it might cost over the long term.

The proposed program will begin slowly, focusing first on “high-need areas” selected by the city, then expanding gradually over years until it becomes available across the city. The mayor expects it to cover around 2,000 children this fall, though he said it was not yet clear where the first seats would open up.

The governor said she is committing to funding the first two years of the city’s free child care program for 2-year-olds, describing it as an expansion of the city’s existing pre-K and 3-K programs.

She said the initial round of funding would come from the state’s existing revenues, rather than having to raise taxes, a step the governor has opposed. Still, Hochul said it was difficult to forecast costs in future years when the program would be more widely available.

Additionally, Hochul rolled out a sweeping, longer-term proposal to expand access to universal pre-K statewide, with the goal of having the program available throughout New York by the start of the 2028-2029 school year.

The governor said she anticipates investing $1.7 billion in the near term for the programs she announced Thursday, bringing her proposed child care and pre-K spending to $4.5 billion for the coming fiscal year.

She will include the plans in her annual state of the state address next week and in her executive budget proposal, which will be subject to debate and negotiations with the state’s legislative leaders over the next few months.

While Hochul has supported the mayor’s child care plan, she hasn’t publicly backed his entire agenda. After the event, as Hochul and Mamdani spoke to reporters about the proposal, the governor sidestepped a question about Mamdani’s proposal to eliminate fares for city buses, saying “Well, we’re focused on this today.”

Rebecca Bailin, executive director for the advocacy group New Yorkers United for Child Care, called the announcement a “historic moment,” adding: “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.”