New York City will begin moving more than 10,000 low-income children off its child care voucher waitlist, cutting into a backlog of more than 29,000 children, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Monday.
The rollout will mark the first time in 15 months that the city has taken children off the waitlist, Mamdani said at a press conference in the Bronx. Families will be invited to apply for vouchers on a rolling basis over the next several months, though the move will still leave thousands of children waiting for assistance.
The Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) provides subsidized care for eligible children ages 6 weeks through 13. Children with special needs can qualify through age 19.
The Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) will begin inviting families to apply over the next few weeks. Those found eligible will receive a voucher covering care at a provider of their choice.
Federal rules require the city to prioritize families earning less than 300% of the federal poverty level, families experiencing homelessness, and families with a child with special needs, according to the administration.
Families receiving vouchers will not have to pay the out-of-pocket fees traditionally associated with the program because of a separate $5.2 million city investment announced in August.
“When I say affordable, I might be misspeaking because what I mean to say is 100% free,” Mamdani said on Oct. 5. He said the elimination of copays applies to families already receiving vouchers as well as those coming off the waitlist.
Emmy Liss, executive director of the Mayor’s Office of Child Care and Early Childhood Education. Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
The expansion is supported by Gov. Kathy Hochul’s $1.2 billion investment in the city’s push toward universal child care, including $475 million to stabilize and expand the voucher program. Monday’s announcement did not specify a separate price tag for the expansion.
“Today’s historic free child care expansion will bring relief to thousands more families across New York City,” said Governor Hochul in a statement.
The waitlist began growing in May 2025, when demand for vouchers exceeded the program’s capacity, Mamdani said.
Asked why the city was only now expanding access months after Hochul announced the funding in January, Mamdani said the city received its state budget allocation over the summer and then reviewed the overall funding, voucher uptake and attrition among families already receiving care.
He said the administration wanted to make sure it could continue assisting once a family was offered a voucher.
City officials also said many child care providers have vacancies that could be filled by families coming off the waitlist.
Emmy Liss, executive director of the Mayor’s Office of Child Care and Early Childhood Education, said thousands of providers have vacancies because families on the waitlist have been unable to afford care out of pocket.
The city has also added a filter to its online child care map at nyc.gov/childcare, allowing families to search for licensed providers that accept vouchers.