New York (WRGB) — Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a major milestone in launching free child care for two-year-olds in New York City, unveiling plans to deliver 2,000 new 2-K seats this fall in four communities.
The expansion is backed by the state’s $1.2 billion commitment to support early child care and early education efforts in New York City. Of that, $73 million will fund the first 2,000 2-K seats. State officials said the overall investment in 2-K is expected to grow to $425 million next year.
The first four communities selected to receive the new seats are:
Washington Heights and InwoodFordham and KingsbridgeEast Brooklyn (Canarsie, Brownsville, and Ocean Hill)Ozone Park and the Rockaways
Hochul said expanding universal child care has been a top priority of her administration, stating,
As New York’s first mom Governor, achieving affordable, universal child care has been a key priority for my administration and we are doing the work to see it through. That’s why we didn’t hesitate to partner with New York City to lay the groundwork and fund not one, but two years to realize the full implementation of free child care for all two-year-olds across the city.
Mayor Mamdani called the launch of 2-K in the four neighborhoods “just the beginning” of efforts to address the city’s child care crisis and reduce costs for families, stating,
Raising a child takes a village – and it takes a city government willing to step up and tackle the child care crisis head-on. On day eight, we moved closer to making universal childcare a reality. This fall, 2,000 New York City two-year-olds will have a brighter future because of it. Launching 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 2-K rollout is part of a broader state initiative to expand access to affordable child care statewide.
Officials said New York has invested more than $8 billion in child care infrastructure and support programs in recent years. The total FY27 investment for child care and prekindergarten services statewide is expected to reach $4.5 billion.
The administration said its child care agenda includes:
Achieving universal Pre-K for all four-year-olds by the 2028–2029 school yearExpanding the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), which now serves approximately 170,000 childrenIncreasing subsidy eligibility to families earning up to 85 percent of the statewide median incomeCapping most child care subsidy costs at $15 per weekIncreasing reimbursement rates for providersLaunching pilot child care programs in Dutchess, Monroe and Broome countiesEstablishing a new Office of Child Care and Early Education to oversee implementation
State officials say expanded access to child care is expected to save families billions of dollars annually while supporting workforce participation and economic growth.
The 2-K expansion in New York City is expected to begin this fall.