NEW YORK (VINnews) — New York City will provide child care assistance to more than 10,000 children after Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration announced Monday that it will begin moving families off a long-standing voucher waitlist.

The expansion, supported by $1.2 billion in state funding committed by Gov. Kathy Hochul, will provide child care assistance to low-income children ages 6 weeks to 13 years old, and through age 19 for children with special needs.

The city said families with children on the Child Care Assistance Program waitlist will begin receiving invitations to apply for vouchers in the coming weeks. Eligible families will be contacted on a rolling basis over the next several months.

Federal requirements call for the city to prioritize families earning less than 300% of the federal poverty level, families experiencing homelessness and those with children who have special needs.

The announcement follows a $5.2 million city investment aimed at eliminating out-of-pocket fees for families receiving child care vouchers. The city also recently launched 2-K, its first free universal child care program for 2-year-olds.

Mamdani called the expansion a major step toward his goal of universal child care.

“For families struggling to make ends meet, and the providers who deliver them high-quality and consistent child care, access to vouchers is nothing short of transformational,” Mamdani said.
Hochul said the expansion would provide relief to thousands of families and cited the state’s investment in expanding child care programs across New York City.

The city also unveiled an update to its child care website that allows families to search for licensed providers and determine which programs accept child care vouchers.

City officials said nearly 29,000 low-income children had been waiting for child care assistance for more than a year. The latest expansion will initially move more than 10,000 children off the waitlist, while advocates called for continued funding to eventually serve all eligible families.

The announcement was welcomed by child care advocates, providers and elected officials, many of whom said the vouchers would allow parents to return to work while providing children with access to stable care.