Editor\u2019s note: The video above aired on April 17, 2025.<\/p>\n
NEW YORK (PIX11) \u2013 Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani are partnering to launch free child care<\/a> for 2-year-old children in New York City.<\/p>\n Hochul\u2019s State of the State proposal will cover nearly 100,000 children and includes efforts to make Pre-K universally available statewide<\/a>, along with creating universal 3-K access in the city. The program will focus on high-need areas in its first year before it\u2019s expanded across New York City, according to Hochul.<\/p>\n More Local News <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s one thing that every family in New York can agree on, the cost of childcare is simply too high,\u201d she said in a statement.<\/p>\n Part of the proposal includes expanding child care subsidies<\/a> to tens of thousands more New York families.<\/p>\n \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,\u201d Mamdani said in a statement.<\/p>\n More: Latest News from Around the Tri-State <\/a><\/p>\n The goal is for all 4-year-old children in New York state to have Pre-K access by the 2028-2029 school year, according to Hochul.<\/p>\n It\u2019s unclear when parents can start enrolling their 2-year-olds for free child care. The state will fund the first two years of the program.<\/p>\n Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n