By HWM
New York City is taking a major step toward easing the crushing cost of child care for working families.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Department of Citywide Administrative Services Commissioner Yume Kitasei announced recently that applications are officially open for “The Little Apple,” the city’s first free, full-day, full-year, on-site child care pilot program for municipal employees.
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The new center will operate inside the iconic David N. Dinkins Municipal Building at 1 Centre St. in Manhattan and is expected to open this fall following a $10 million renovation project. The 4,000-square-foot facility will serve approximately 40 children between the ages of 6 weeks and 3 years old.
City officials also revealed that Imagine Early Learning Centers will run the program. The employee-owned company has more than 20 years of experience in early childhood education and currently serves hundreds of children throughout the New York metro area.
“The dedicated public servants who keep this city running deserve high-quality, free child care that meets the needs of their busy schedules — that is exactly what ‘The Little Apple’ will do,” Mayor Mamdani said in a statement. “We hope this center will serve as a model for City government at its best, where a strong start for New York’s cutest is a guarantee and not a luxury.”
The pilot program will operate Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the ground floor of the building’s North Tower. Eligibility was recently expanded to include all full-time DCAS employees regardless of location, as well as full-time city employees assigned to 1 Centre Street.
Applications are open now through May 15, 2026. Families selected through a random lottery process will be notified in June, while others will be placed on a waitlist if space becomes available.
Full eligibility details and application portal are available online.
Officials say the free child care benefit could save working families as much as $20,000 annually while also helping the city retain workers and improve job satisfaction among parents.
Commissioner Kitasei called the program a “monumental step forward” in modernizing workplace support for city employees.
The announcement is part of the Mamdani administration’s broader push toward universal child care in New York City. Earlier this year, the city unveiled plans for full-day, full-year 2-K programming and expanded more than 1,000 additional 3-K seats across dozens of ZIP codes.
New York City Comptroller Mark Levine praised the initiative, calling it a “game-changing service” for municipal workers balancing careers and rising child care costs. Meanwhile, Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal said he hopes the program eventually expands citywide.
Photo: Pavel Danilyuk, Pexels
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