Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani: Good morning, my fellow New Yorkers! Thank you very much. You’re very kind.
Today is an extraordinarily exciting day as we take a monumental step — or maybe I should say a monumental bounce — toward making universal childcare a little more universal in our city. We take inspiration from the many 2-year-olds who will be walking into 2-K programs in their districts next fall, and the many steps they will take to school, from school, in their ABCs and 123s, and on the path toward a brighter future.
Now, I want to acknowledge that we have a lot of our leaders, both inside and outside of city government, who are here with us today. If we can have a round of applause for our public schools chancellor, Kamar Samuels; our deputy chancellor for early education, Erica Phillips; and our executive director of the Mayor’s Office for Child Care, Emmy Liss.
We have a number of elected leaders here. We have our governor, Kathy Hochul; Comptroller Mark Levine; City Council Speaker Julie Menin; [and] Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson. We have our assembly members, state senators and City Council members from across New York City. If we can give it up for them!
We also have PS 205 Fiorella LaGuardia Principal Jenneth Santiago. We have to say thank you to our gracious hosts today, Sky Zone Bronx owners Jesus and Josh Horton. And to every single advocate, parent and family who is here, you are at the heart of a movement that, together with these elected officials, you made today possible. Thank you so much.
So, I would like to begin by reflecting on the number 12,000 and its significance here in New York City. Across the five boroughs, we proudly boast 12,000 miles of sidewalks, 12,000 acres of green space in our parks, roughly 12,000 bodegas and more than 12,000 yellow taxis. The crystal ball in Times Square that drops on New Year’s Eve weighs exactly 12,000 pounds.
Twelve thousand New Yorkers live on Roosevelt Island. Every single day, our city approximately generates 12,000 tons of waste and recycling. And in just the first six months of this year, City Hall has financed 12,000 affordable homes.
Today, we are making the number 12,000 all the more meaningful here in New York City. I’m so proud to be here in the Bronx to announce that we are bringing 10,000 new 2-K seats to 17 new school districts across the five boroughs. That is a commitment that will bring our citywide 2-K seat total to 12,000 and establish the program in 22 out of 32 districts citywide.
And what that means is it will make free childcare available to every single family here in the Bronx and on Staten Island starting next fall. This truly historic announcement will save parents more than $25,000 per child per year while transforming the lives of children by giving them the strong foundation they need to succeed.
It is hard to put into words just what this announcement will mean for thousands of families across the five boroughs. Next year, when placements are announced, families in the Bronx, on Staten Island [and] across our city will feel an enormous weight lifted off their shoulders.
Next fall, when 12,000 2-year-olds slip on their Crocs and put on backpacks that dangle down to their knees, our classrooms will be filled once again with renewed curiosity. And next winter, and over every year to come, our city will remain somewhere that parents can afford to live, to work and to raise a family without having to sacrifice their careers, without having to move away from the neighborhoods that they love.
I’m deeply grateful to everyone who has made this moment possible. Chiefly among them [is] Gov. Kathy Hochul, our state’s first mom governor and someone for whom this issue is deeply personal. Gov. Hochul has been a steadfast partner to our city throughout every step of this process, and I look forward to continuing to work alongside her as we deliver universal childcare to the families of this city.
But we know that this journey did not begin when we announced our commitment to 2,000 2-K seats in January, nor did it begin two years ago when we made universal childcare a central part of our movement struggle. This journey began decades ago with so many of the advocates, organizers, parents and providers who are here with us today. Those who have long called for action to take on the crushing cost of childcare. Those who have spent precious free time they don’t have talking to their neighbors. Those who have made their voices heard in the halls of power, and the community and home-based providers who are the bedrock of this initiative and who deserve a city government that delivers the streamlined operations, improved communication and increased support they need.
Please, please give yourselves a round of applause.
While today we celebrate a great step forward, we know that it is only that: a step forward. So let us redouble our commitment to many more steps forward, each one matching our children’s stride, each one making life that little bit more affordable here in New York City, each one boosting our economy and supporting our children, each one delivering public goods and public excellence for all who call our city home.
Thank you so much. And with that —
Child: Please welcome Gov. Hochul.
Governor Kathy Hochul: I want to thank everyone who’s been on this extraordinary journey with us. Since I became governor five years ago, I’ve been laser-focused on making sure that our children have every advantage possible to them and that we finally take a heavy burden off our parents.
And I’m so proud to have a partner in the mayor of the City of New York. Mayor Mamdani and I have made this our personal mission, our quest, to let people know that we hear them. We understand the challenges of being a parent in a city that is otherwise very expensive.
I think back to just yesterday, when I was in the Bronx. I was with our great borough president, Vanessa Gibson. Let’s give it up for Vanessa Gibson. We were walking around the Riverdale Y farmers market, and a father came up to me. He said, “Governor, my wife and I were literally getting ready to move to Philadelphia because the rents are so high. We wanted to stay, but we couldn’t, and we were heading out the door until we found out that our 2-year-old qualified for childcare. It made all the difference, and now we’re staying here in the Bronx.”
That is one story among thousands of people who now know that this is one huge expense lifted off their shoulders, so there’s more money for them to be able to cover their other expenses, as we understand them to be very high: groceries, utility bills, rent and mortgage payments. Well, this is one thing they don’t have to worry about.
And why is this so personal to me? Because I did have to worry about it. I’m New York’s first mom governor, and I know what that means. I know what it means when you have a job you want to keep, but you have to say goodbye to it because there’s no available, affordable childcare. I had to walk away from that job. It sent our family finances into a much more challenging place. And we lived through it, but it’s heartbreaking to me to know that those babies who were born back then are parents today [are] now parents trying to find childcare for their kids, and this problem still has not been solved.
But not here in New York state. Not here in New York with these 12,000 slots. We are committed to making it happen. Twelve thousand lives changed forever — the parents and the children.
And let me close with this: We’re just getting warmed up, my friends. This was a huge commitment, but we’re doing it statewide. We’ve invested money to have universal 4-year-old programs for every child in New York in the next year and a half. That is a guarantee. We’re going to get that done.
We are going to make sure that this 2-year-old program continues to expand to all the people of the Bronx and Staten Island that we’re announcing today. Every single district in those two boroughs will have this available, spreading it to the other five. This is what government is all about: helping our people, lifting this up, supporting our kids, supporting our families.
Thank you very much, Mayor. Thanks for being such an amazing partner.
Child: Please welcome the chancellor.
Kamar Samuels, Chancellor, New York City Public Schools: Wow, good morning, everyone. And I love that we are here at a trampoline park this morning because, you know, you’re going to have to bear with my dad joke, but I’m jumping for joy as we are expanding 2-K across our city.
But on a serious note, I want to thank Mayor Mamdani [and] Gov. Hochul for their partnership in this work. I also want to thank Emmy Liss and the Mayor’s Office of Child Care and Early Childhood Education, our brand-new Deputy Chancellor Erica Phillips, our elected officials and the providers who show up for our youngest New Yorkers every day, and, as I call them, New York’s cutest. Thank you to all of you.
We are on our way to universal childcare in this city. And as an educator and as a parent, I know firsthand that education begins long before kindergarten. The early years are when our children build the foundation for everything that follows: teaching language, curiosity, confidence and the ability to learn and play alongside each other. We need teachers to be able to do that. Those are all things AI cannot teach. And so, we need to make sure we have a strong 2-K program.
When we opened applications for the first time last year — 2,000 2-K seats — and now families submitted more than 5,700 applications. Behind every one of those applications is a parent who is counting on us.
So, this expansion is about answering a real need, a real need that our families have been sharing. And so, I’m thrilled that next fall, over 12,000 2-year-olds and their families will have access to 2-K across the boroughs.
And especially right here in the Bronx, these seats will be free, high-quality, culturally responsive, and the default model will be full-day, full-year. Full-day, full-year. Did I say full-day, full-year? So, I’m proud to be a part of an administration that is making New York more livable for working families, delivering for our children from the youngest ages.
Now, this expansion is only possible with the collaboration of our providers, the people who do the critical work of caring for and teaching our children. Give it up for the providers!
If you are a provider, here’s what’s next. Within the next week, we will be releasing a survey for providers who currently contract with us. We will also release a request for information for providers who want to offer 2-K. Please respond. Tell us what’s working and what isn’t. What we learn from you will shape how we build this program.
We learned a lot from our first 2,000 seats. We intend to keep learning as we grow. And to our families across the city, we will share the fall application timeline in the next couple of weeks.
Now, universal childcare is a big goal, and we won’t get there in a single announcement. But we are building seat by seat, district by district, provider by provider, with our families across the city and the support of partners at the city and state levels.
So, I’m proud to continue this work. Thank you so much. Let’s go, 2-K!
Children: Please welcome the comptroller.
Comptroller Levine: Okay, the 5-year-old said the word “comptroller” better than some of you adults do, okay? Very good. Give it up for the Voice of God — they’re awesome. This is, like, the coolest place I have ever done a press conference in. If you would like to be on a trampoline right now, will you make some noise?
All right, let me get back on topic. If you love 2-K, make some noise! If you love our 2-K providers, make some noise!
I do want to start by saying that I will always, always appreciate the fact that we now have a governor and a mayor who are working together on behalf of our city. We know what it’s like when that doesn’t happen. This is the result of that partnership. Will you please give both of those executives a big round of applause?
So, we are here in Sky Zone. Did you know this is the first Sky Zone that is Latino-owned? Give it up for Jesus Horton, una familia dominicana de aquí del Bronx, para que lo sepan. And the investors are also the largest Latino-owned firm in America, Palladium. Give it up for mi tocayo, Marcos Rodriguez. Allí está. Amazing venue.
This city is a magnet for young people in their 20s. Young people in their 20s, whether they grew up here or come from elsewhere, they want to be in New York City. But we are losing those same New Yorkers when they start to form families. When they have their first kids, we are losing thousands every year.
From here in the heart of the Bronx, so many are forced to leave because they cannot afford life here. They are going as far away as Pennsylvania and returning here to work sometimes with two-hour commutes. Yes, housing is driving that, but number two is childcare. We must do better for them.
When you can offer free childcare to a struggling family, we can keep them in this city. A win for that family, a win for New York City, a win for our economy. Many of those parents will be able to return to the workplace, generating economic activity and tax revenue that, by some estimates, will pay for what we are investing in these childcare services. This is a win.
It is also a win for our providers. Providers here, raise your hand. I want to see you. We love you. How about you make some noise? Thank you. You should have invited more providers here today — and I love that we have a man on the balcony here. Don’t know why you’re in the cheap seats.
The providers are overwhelmingly immigrants and low-income themselves and struggling now. And this expansion will give them more students and will give them larger contracts that reflect the fact that they will now be providing care throughout the day and throughout the year. So, this is a win for those wonderful small-business owners as well.
And I want you to know that these contracts go through my office, and we know this is a huge, huge number to approve. We’re going to do this fast, as quickly as possible, so that every single provider can get paid as soon as possible. This is my commitment. Cheers for contracts! You don’t hear that very often.
All right, so we’re going to round it out with the cheer that our chancellor led. When I say “two,” you say “K,” all right?
[Crosstalk.]
All right. Congrats, everybody. Thank you.
Council Speaker Julie Menin: Wow, that is the greatest introduction, honestly, I’ve ever received. So, thank you so much. I’m so thrilled to be here. Can we give it up for Sky Zone, first of all? I know that every elected official here is like, “Can we just stay here all day?” Because this place is amazing.
So, I couldn’t be more proud to be here today, and I really want to thank the governor and the mayor for their leadership in today’s announcement. This is so exciting, and it’s an amazing day for the Bronx and Staten Island. It is, because today’s announcement means that in the fall, there will be an additional 10,000 seats for 2-year-olds. So, can we hear it for 2-K?
I want to say the City Council is all in on universal childcare. Back in 2022, we were the first city in the country to pass a bill called the Universal Child Care Act, saying that we have to have universal childcare.
Now, as a mom, I will say that when you have a child, the number one worry is making sure your child is safe, making sure there’s accessible, affordable childcare. We know that about 375,000 parents, mainly mothers, left the workforce because they couldn’t find affordable, accessible childcare in our city. Is that acceptable? No.
So, today’s announcement is so important. This is going to change the lives of so many parents who really are having to choose between their job and their child. And no parent, no parent should ever have to make that choice.
I want to say also that in the City Council, we have passed bill after bill to make it easier to open more childcare facilities, cutting down on bureaucracy and red tape so we make sure that new childcare centers can open and the ones that are open can stay.
So, today’s an amazing day for the Bronx and Staten Island, and let’s hear it for 2-K. Thank you.
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams: Peace and blessings, love and light, everybody. How you doing? Look at all these kids jumping up and down, having a good time. It is awesome to be here, awesome to be a public advocate.
I just want to congratulate both the mayor and the governor for this. I’m a parent now, so these things hit me differently. And I used to fight for this before I was a parent, but I really, really fight for this stuff now, because I understand: without childcare, you can’t do anything.
And sometimes people treat this as a luxury. It’s something you can or cannot do. Nothing else is going to happen in your day if you have children if you do not have childcare. That makes this a necessity for this city, for everyone to go to work, including our municipal workers who must have childcare. That’s how important it is. It is critical to everything else moving forward.
So having something like this, where people don’t have to worry about where their child is, and they’ll be safe, and it’s affordable — I will admit I’m thankful that my wife and I are able to pay for childcare. But, yo, I got a kid in college. It’s close to the same. It’s amazing how much childcare costs.
And so, having something like this is essential to make sure the city keeps moving forward. And I want to thank the governor for putting the money and making sure that we can move forward.
I have been in government for a long time. I have seen when the governor and the mayor are not working together because of politics or letting differences get between them. Thankfully, that’s not happening now. Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani are working together on issues like childcare. That deserves a hand clap in New York City because we don’t always see it.
So, we’re going to keep moving this forward with this expansion. We’re going to see more people be able to use it. We’re going to see all the boroughs. We’re moving into more and more neighborhoods. I can’t wait for the next announcement and the next expansion.
This is an amazing move forward for parents, for kids, for the entire city. Congratulations. Peace and blessings.
Question: I was just wondering about the logistics of this expansion. I know there were some hiccups at the beginning of this year during the pilot program, namely paying contracts. This is a significant expansion, so, mayor, what lessons have you learned from the pilot? And to the governor: If you get reelected, do you intend to fund this beyond the three years to which you’ve already committed?
Mayor Mamdani: So, I think, first and foremost, we are incredibly excited to expand from 2,000 children being served by 2-K to 12,000 children being served by 2-K, and in the process covering the entirety of the boroughs of the Bronx and Staten Island.
In terms of what we have been doing since the launch of the school year and this pilot program is strengthening the infrastructure needed to create the expansion. That includes both enrollment work, instructional work, processing work, as well as payments, procurements and contracts.
And one of the key things that we have been doing over these last few weeks and months, and that is going to continue to be sustained over the next months, is the hiring of additional staff to ensure that these processes are actually working at an expedited scale.
And for us, when we’re talking about this, the other part of what we acknowledged earlier was the central role that providers have played in ensuring that not only are we able to deliver these services, but also that we are finally aware of all of the different work that needs to be done to ensure that day one can be day one for every single family across the city.
Governor Hochul: On the question of whether we’re committed to future funding in my next term? Absolutely. We didn’t come this far to turn back now. We’re going all the way. Universal means universal, so I am committed to it.
And you look at the progress we’ve made in such a short time. This is quite extraordinary if you step back and look at the scale of the program that has been undertaken by the city under the mayor’s leadership in just this school year alone.
And now we already know what we’re capable of doing next year. We already committed the money this year for next year, and then I’ll get to what my budget will look like for the future years. So, we’re on board. This is too great to turn back from.
Question: This is a question for the governor regarding funding for universal childcare. Are you absolutely ruling out tax hikes next year to fund universal childcare, or do you have an open mind?
Governor Hochul: No, we have been able to successfully fund this year, in addition to next year’s commitment, within our existing resources. It’s called good fiscal management, and I want to make sure that this program endures. We’ll make sure we do whatever it takes, but I am committed to this program.
Question: This is a question for both the mayor and the governor. So, the question is this: Julie Menin, the Council speaker, has said that she would support a tax hike to pay for these programs, universal free childcare expansion. I wonder how you both feel about that, the need to raise taxes and whether you will support a tax hike in order to pay for these worthy programs.
Governor Hochul: I get opinions on our state budget from 20 million people. Everybody’s entitled to their opinion. I know what I have to do as the governor, who will be working on my budget through the fall and will be announcing what we’re planning for the next years. But we’ve already spent $12 billion on childcare already without raising taxes. I’m proud of that.
Mayor Mamdani: Yeah, I want to just first commend the governor because you’ve heard from the governor, this is an issue of immense importance to her. It’s something that has been true throughout her tenure as the governor of our state. And it is through her leadership that we delivered, on the eighth day of our administration, $1.2 billion toward universal childcare.
And what that money has done is unlock 2,000 seats of free childcare for 2-year-olds. Now it is unlocking an extra 10,000 seats of free childcare for 2-year-olds, and it took more than 10,000 children off the waitlist for what will also now be free childcare.
And I lay all this out because you’ve just heard the governor say she’s committed to the long-term future of this program, and to me, that is exactly what we are looking forward to working on. And we appreciate everyone who adds their voice in support of that, and that includes City Council Speaker Julie Menin as well.
Question: How many of those seats are for Staten Islanders?
Mayor Mamdani: So, the entire borough of Staten Island will be covered through this program. I’ll just have Emmy come up to speak about the exact seat numbers.
Emmy Liss, Executive Director, Office of Child Care and Early Childhood Education: Good morning. The exact number of 2-K seats for each of the districts being announced today will depend on how many providers express interest in participating in the program and our anticipated sense of how many families might apply. So those exact numbers are to come, but our goal is to serve as many families on Staten Island next fall as we can.
Mayor Mamdani: Before we clear out the on-topic questions, I want to just take a moment to thank all of the legislators who are here, truly. What you’re seeing are people who have been pushing and fighting for this kind of a vision at the City Council, in the state Assembly, in the state Senate, and truly, we would not get here without all of you being those partners and being those leaders. I just can’t thank you enough. Thank you.
Question: I wanted to ask you about the shooting over the weekend on the subway. There’s still somebody that they’re looking for. I want to know your reaction to that shooting, what the city is doing. And I know previously you’ve been asked about this at the last CompStat presser about adding more cops on the subways. Since that shooting, are you committed at all to putting more cops in the subway? I mean, what’s the plan?
Mayor Mamdani: I am heartbroken and outraged by this shooting. Every single New Yorker deserves to be safe on every single train, on every single subway platform, no matter where they’re going across our five boroughs. And we know that we’ve made strides in making our subways safer, and we also know that this shooting serves as an incredibly painful reminder of all that still has to be done to root out the scourge of gun violence from across our city.
And at this time, you know, my heart goes out to the family of the individual who was killed, to the loved ones of the individual who was killed. I have full confidence in our PD, in their work to apprehend the suspect and I am confident in the approach that they are taking at this point.
Question: So, actually, on the childcare portion, do you think that the only way to pay for childcare is through a tax increase? Would you be pushing for that regardless up in Albany next year? And do you think the money within the state budget right now can support a continuous revenue stream for this funding program, or does it have to come through increased taxes?
Mayor Mamdani: I think, honestly, so much of the time, typically, in Albany is spent trying to figure out if there’s an agreement as to what the end result of something should be. And what I am so incredibly heartened by is that New York City is working with a governor who’s committed to the long-term fulfillment and expansion of this program.
And then the budget will be a time when we can explore all of the different ways to get to that end goal. But for many years, for New Yorkers, there hasn’t even been any kind of basic agreement as to where we’re headed. And now we know where we are headed as a city that wants to make it easier for parents to raise their children here, and I am excited to be working with this governor to do that.
[Crosstalk.]
Question: So, can you describe to us, as you see it, the stakes in this election, the gubernatorial election, the stakes for New York City?
Mayor Mamdani: I think that there is no better event to be asked that question, because I am standing here announcing the expansion of free childcare for an additional 10,000 children across our city. Free childcare for 2-year-olds across the entirety of the Bronx, the entirety of Staten Island. And if Bruce Blakeman was the governor, that would not be the case.
Oftentimes, politics feels like a hobby you have to have enough money to care about. Our politics is one that delivers for those people who don’t have enough money in their pocket and everybody else. And what the governor has shown is that she measures her success by the success of the families she’s elected to represent. Bruce Blakeman is running on a vision where he wants City government and state government to do less — less assistance to working families, less compassion for those who are needy across our city and state.
He wants to cut the Medicaid budget in half. He wants to work closer with ICE. He looks at a program like universal childcare and says that it’s a reward for lazy parents who “are going to sit at home and watch The View.” The idea that parents are lazy — I do not even know how you can come to justify that when you look at all that’s required to raise a child in this city.
So, to me, the stakes are a day like today. Do we want a day like today to be a day that we have every day? Or do we want a day like today to be a distant memory in the history of this state, as we instead have to combat a Republican governor whose vision for this state is one of cruelty and punishment?
Question: I want to follow up on the campaign question, because Bruce Blakeman today campaigned by riding the subways to complain about the shooting that happened and about subway crime. Do you think that’s a fair thing to do in this campaign, especially since this is a governor who committed a lot of money for police safety on the MTA?
Mayor Mamdani: I don’t think that Bruce Blakeman is interested in what’s fair in the way that he has run this campaign. I think what we’ve seen is he is looking to exploit any fear that a New Yorker may have at any time for his political benefit.
We’re talking about a governor who has been more committed to the City of New York than so many of her predecessors, someone who has delivered not only funding but policy support as well. And when I look at Bruce Blakeman, I also see someone whose own executive experience decades ago was one that left his constituents in such a financial bind that the state had to take on a more active role. How is that the person that is running to now become the executive of the state?
Question: I just wanted a follow-up question. I wonder if you got a cat for your birthday. Did you get a cat for your birthday?
Mayor Mamdani: I am a couple of weeks away from finally being able to get some cats, but no, for my birthday I went to the Studio Museum in Harlem, which is lovely. I would recommend everyone do so if they haven’t had the chance. And I went to the Central Park Conservatory, which was a really beautiful place, at 105th and Fifth. Thank you, everyone.
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