Having a second child in New York City felt like a far away dream to Allison Lew.<\/p>\n
But after Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced plans to expand free child care to the city\u2019s 2-year-olds<\/a>, Lew felt that dream inch closer to reality.<\/p>\n \u201cOur son has asked for a little brother, he said to me, \u2018I\u2019d love to have a bunk bed in my room and I can be on the top bunk, and he can be on the lower bunk, and then we\u2019ll go to the park, and I\u2019ll be in my scooter, and he\u2019ll be on the bicycle and it will be just so great to not to be alone,\u2019\u201d said Lew, 37.<\/p>\n \u201cWe do feel a lot more hope about having a second kid,\u201d Lew said.<\/p>\n Many New York City parents have hesitated to grow their families or have any children at all as child care costs feel increasingly out of reach. Some parents say they\u2019ve taken on debt, gone without health insurance or left the workforce just to afford to care for their kids \u2014 and they just can\u2019t afford to do that again for another child. But for some, Mamdani is starting to change that calculation.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s not making me be like, time to start trying now, let’s go, let’s start having this second kid,\u201d said Paola Rodelas, 38, who lives in Bushwick with her 1-year-old son.<\/p>\n \u201cBut it is a huge, huge, huge thing to add on the pro column,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n Mamdani promised to move the city toward free universal care for every child, regardless of income, starting at 6 weeks old. Currently the city offers parents free child care beginning at 3 years old, though many families have struggled to find seats in their neighborhoods<\/a>.<\/p>\n Earlier this month, Mamdani added more than 1,000 seats for 3-year-olds<\/a> in the city\u2019s existing 3-K program to alleviate seat shortages. And this September, the city will launch free care for 2,000 2-year-olds<\/a> in select neighborhoods, scaling that up to 12,000 toddlers by 2027 using state funding.<\/p>\n Parents say there are many factors that go into budgeting for a child, but having to only pay for two years of child care would be a huge relief, rather than counting down until their children qualify for 3-K. New York City parents pay an average of $20,000 a year for child care<\/a>, city officials say.<\/p>\n