Childcare will be completely free for more than 22,000 New York City families who rely on low-cost vouchers, the city announced Thursday.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said beginning next month, the city will cover all out-of-pocket costs for families who pay a sliding scale fee to their childcare providers every week. The effort will cost the city $5.2 million in the first year, city officials said.
“For thousands of families, a weekly childcare fee means another bill they simply can’t afford. Making that care truly free can make all the difference,” Mamdani said in a statement.
“As part of our promise to deliver universal child care, we are eliminating these fees for families receiving childcare assistance across the city. No family should have to choose between staying in the city they love and affording care for their child. This is another step toward making affordable childcare something every New York family can count on.”
The mayor’s announcement builds on his promise to deliver free, universal childcare to New York families and comes after the city rolled out offers for its inaugural preschool program for 2-year-olds, which will offer free care all year and for 8- to 10-hour days this fall.
The Child Care Assistance Program is largely state funded and subsidizes childcare and afterschool for children aged 6 weeks to 13 years old. Parents qualify if they earn 85% of the state’s median income or $114,000 a year for a family of four. They pay no more than $15 a week, depending on how much they earn.
“As we prepare to launch free 2-K this fall, we are making all publicly-funded care free for families,” said Emmy Liss, executive director of the Mayor’s Office of Child Care and Early Childhood Education.
More than 100,000 families use the popular voucher program but the lowest earners, who receive public assistance, don’t have any out-of-pocket expenses. Only about 22,000 families have weekly co-pays.
The program also has more than 16,000 families on the waitlist as demand far exceeds what the state has budgeted for the program, despite historic investments by Gov. Kathy Hochul.
“This move by the city brings us one step closer to treating childcare and early education like the public good that it should be,” said Ben Parisi, director of strategic campaign initiatives at The Action Lab, which organizes providers advocating for universal childcare.
“We are glad to see a more equitable city that doesn’t charge some parents fees for public goods and not others.”City officials said another $6 million to cover out-of-pocket voucher costs is already baselined in next fiscal year’s budget.