At a Brooklyn event on Thursday, Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani rolled out a proposal that could soon allow city parents to enroll their 2-year-olds in free child care, a move both leaders framed as a major step toward easing the city’s crushing cost of living.

“This is the day that everything changes,” Hochul said, as she simultaneously previewed a broader push to expand access to child care across New York State in the years ahead.

For Mamdani, the announcement marked an early win just days into his tenure, offering momentum to an agenda that has drawn skepticism since the campaign. He rose to office promising to center the needs of working-class New Yorkers, and Thursday’s plan gave his administration a tangible policy victory.

“Today we take one step to realizing a city where every New Yorker, every family, every child can afford to keep calling it their home,” Mamdani said.

“To those who doubt the power of the people to make their own destiny, to the cynics who insist that politics is too broken to deliver meaningful change, to those who think that the promises of a campaign cannot survive once confronted with the realities of government, today is your answer,” he added.

Under the proposal, Hochul said the state will fund the first two years of free child care for 2-year-olds in the city, positioning the effort as an extension of New York City’s existing universal pre-K and 3-K programs. The initial rollout would target “high-need areas” identified by the city before expanding more broadly, with citywide availability projected by the fourth year.

Speaking with reporters after the event, Mamdani said the program is expected to serve roughly 2,000 children this fall, with enrollment growing each year until it becomes universal. He added that the city plans to partner with home-based child care providers to implement the initiative.

Hochul, who faces reelection this year, has aligned herself with the city’s new progressive mayor on child care policy, though long-term costs and structure remain open questions. Beyond the city-focused plan, she also unveiled a sweeping proposal to expand universal pre-K statewide, aiming to make it available throughout New York by the start of the 2028–2029 school year.

The governor said she will formally introduce both initiatives in her upcoming state of the state address and expects to commit $1.7 billion toward the programs announced on Thursday.

Advocates praised the announcement as a turning point. Rebecca Bailin, executive director of New Yorkers United for Child Care, described the plan as a “historic moment.”

“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,” Bailin said.

{Matzav.com}

Jooish News

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