Officials indicated that higher taxes are not needed to fund the program.
Two thousand 2-year-olds will be enrolled soon in child care that will not cost their parents a penny, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on March 3.
The availability of the 2,000 spots is the first step in fulfilling Mamdani’s campaign pledge to provide free child care to approximately 100,000 children in the nation’s most populous city.
“Today, my friends, is a special day because we are gathered together to mark a monumental moment of progress on the path to universal child care across New York City,” Mamdani said at a news briefing with Hochul.
The child care will start in September in four communities, which were chosen “based on economic need, projected child care demand, existing access gaps, provider capacity, and readiness,” the mayor’s office said.
Hochul has committed to spending $1.2 billion on universal child care through the end of 2027, and the first slots will cost $73 million, the governor’s office said. The state is expected to invest another $425 million by the end of the year, as officials work to expand the program to 10,000 additional children soon.
“We’ve done such a good job managing our budget that we’re able to provide this new program … in addition to all the other investments we’ve made throughout the state,” Hochul said, when asked whether higher taxes would be required to fund the program in the future. “We anticipate the same next year and going forward.”
Pressed on the matter, Hochul replied: “I said we did it with existing revenues. Take what I’m saying as your answer.”
Mamdani has backed raising taxes on wealthy New Yorkers, while Hochul has said she doesn’t support raising taxes without reason.
Mamdani said the program was an investment that would help businesses attract families “who want to move here but can’t fathom spending so much of their paycheck on childcare every month.” He has said child care can cost up to $26,000 per child per year.
Officials have also said previously that illegal immigrants can sign up for free child care.
Suz Kroeber, a leader of the group New Yorkers United for Child Care and a mother of two, was among the parents and organizational leaders praising the announcement.
“Instead of pinching every penny just to cover daycare, we can start thinking about saving for college,” she said.
Jennifer Weber, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute, was among the critics, writing on X that a more affordable way of helping families would have been to give them tax credits.
