\u201cThis is the day that everything changes,\u201d Hochul, a Democrat, said during an event in Brooklyn on January 8.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday we take one step to realizing a city where every New Yorker, every family, every child can afford to keep calling it their home,\u201d Mamdani said.<\/p>\n
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Why It Matters<\/p>\n
The cost of living in New York is one of the highest in the world, and raising a child in the state\u2014especially in New York City\u2014can cost up to tens of thousands of dollars every year when you include rent, food and child care.\u00a0<\/p>\n
According to a report released in February<\/a>, more than one in four (26 percent) children in New York City, or 420,000, were living in poverty in 2023, nearly double the national average.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hochul\u2019s and Mamdani\u2019s proposal to offer affordable child care to families in New York could prove a godsend for households struggling with the state’s high cost of living, especially housing.<\/p>\n What To Know<\/p>\n Hochul is proposing to spend an additional $1.7 billion to expand access to affordable child care for New Yorkers, bringing the total to $4.5 billion in fiscal year 2027. The governor has estimated that this investment would deliver affordable child care to nearly 100,000 more children.<\/p>\n As part of her plan for 2026, the state would make pre-K \u201ctruly\u201d universal across the state by the start of the 2028-2029 school year and partner with Mamdani to launch the new mayor\u2019s signature 2-Care program, granting universal 3K access in the city over the next few years.\u00a0<\/p>\n Under the proposal, the 2-care program would offer free child care to 2-year-olds in \u201chigh-need areas\u201d of New York City beginning this year, with plans to expand access citywide over four years. Mamdani said he expects the program to cover 2,000 children this fall.<\/p>\n The state would also support other counties in building out new child care pilots offering high-quality, affordable care to New York families, regardless of their income, and would expand child care subsidies to tens of thousands of additional families statewide.<\/p>\n Hochul will also launch an Office of Child Care and Early Education to manage the implementation of universal child care for New York families.<\/p>\n Since taking office, the governor said she has already spent more than $8 billion on the state\u2019s child care infrastructure, significantly expanding access for families.<\/p>\n The two Democrats\u2019 joint announcement came only days after the Trump administration froze $10 billion in child care federal funds in five blue states, including New York, over allegations of widespread fraud.<\/p>\n The other states involved are California, Colorado, Illinois and Minnesota. The latter was recently at the center of a fraud scandal involving child care centers in the state run by Somali residents, which has triggered an attempt by the Trump administration to tighten its oversight on federally-funded child care services.<\/p>\n The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said in documents shown to Newsweek that it had \u201creason to believe\u201d these states may be committing fraud, though it did not provide details.<\/p>\n On Friday, a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration could not freeze federal money for child care subsidies and other programs aimed at supporting low-income families with children in the five Democratic states.\u00a0<\/p>\n What People Are Saying<\/p>\n Reshma Saujani, Founder and CEO of Moms First, said in a statement shared with Newsweek: \u201cGovernor Hochul\u2019s announcement is a turning point for families across the state. It shows what\u2019s possible when parents, businesses, and policymakers come together and treat child care as the economic priority it has always been. New York just proved it can be done, now it\u2019s time to take this blueprint and make every city in the country a place where families can afford to raise their kids.\u201d<\/p>\n New York Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement: \u201cThere\u2019s one thing that every family in New York can agree on, the cost of childcare is simply too high. As New York\u2019s first mom Governor, fighting for New York\u2019s families has always been at the core of my agenda.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSince taking office, I\u2019ve put families front and center, fighting to make our state more affordable and laying the groundwork to deliver universal childcare.\u201d<\/p>\n New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a statement: \u201cOver the past 14 months, a movement was born to fight for a city where every New Yorker could afford a life of dignity and every family could afford to raise their kids. Today, Governor Hochul and I meet that movement as we celebrate our joint commitment to universal child care.<\/p>\n \u201cThis victory represents much more than a triumph of city and state government working in partnership\u2014it is proof that when New Yorkers come together, we can transform the way [the] government serves working families.\u201d<\/p>\n What Happens Next<\/p>\n Mamdani has proposed universal, no-cost child care in the city during his campaign, generating a national conversation on the topic.\u00a0<\/p>\n While it seems unlikely that the Trump administration would introduce it at the federal level, if New York City is successful, more cities\u2014especially in blue states\u2014might consider the traditionally progressive policy.<\/p>\n In a polarized era, the center is dismissed as bland. At Newsweek, ours is different: The Courageous Center\u2014it’s not “both sides,” it’s sharp, challenging and alive with ideas. We follow facts, not factions. If that sounds like the kind of journalism you want to see thrive, we need you.<\/p>\n When you become a Newsweek Member<\/a>, you support a mission to keep the center strong and vibrant.\u00a0Members enjoy:\u00a0Ad-free browsing, exclusive content and editor conversations.\u00a0Help keep the center courageous. Join today.<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1768411042_166_Top.png\"\/)
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