Mayor Zohran Mamdani has announced the first New York City neighborhoods where he plans to roll out free child care for 2-year-olds starting this fall.

The communities include parts of Upper Manhattan, the Bronx, Southeast Queens, and Central and Eastern Brooklyn. Tuesday’s announcement sets in motion the mayor’s ambitious proposal with Gov. Kathy Hochul to provide free care for 2-year-olds, regardless of their family’s income or immigration status.

“Raising a child takes a village – and it takes a city government willing to step up and tackle the child care crisis head-on,” Mamdani said in a statement. “Launching free 2-K in these four neighborhoods is just the beginning of our work to put money back in New Yorkers’ pockets, strengthen our entire economy and help more families build their lives here.”

The first communities offering seats will include:

School District 6: Washington Heights, Hamilton Heights and InwoodSchool District 10: Northwest Bronx including Fordham, Belmont, Norwood, Morris Heights, Van Cortlandt Village and KingsbridgeSchool Districts 18 and 23: Canarsie, Remsen Village, Brownsville and Ocean HillSchool District 27: Ozone Park, South Ozone Park, Richmond Hill, Howard Beach, Woodhaven and the Rockaways

Hochul has promised to pay for the first two years of the program, including $73 million for the first 2,000 slots and $425 million the following year.

“Raising a family in New York shouldn’t feel like a luxury, and today we’re taking another significant step to deliver universal child care,” Hochul said in a statement.

The Mamdani administration said neighborhoods were picked based on economic need, projected demand for child care and provider capacity.

City officials said during a Council hearing Monday that they would be utilizing child care centers and home-based providers for the 2-care program. Emmy Liss, executive director of the Mayor’s Office of Child Care and Early Childhood Education, also said the city was exploring both school day programs that are 6 hours long and full day programs that run until 5 or 6 p.m.

The program will start in September and is expected to enroll 12,000 children by fall 2027.