NYC Mayor Mamdani's universal childcare closer thanks to Gov. Hochul

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani got an early win on a signature policy proposal thanks to Gov. Kathy Hochul.

On Jan. 8, Hochul announced the city and state would partner on a plan to launch free universal childcare for 2-year-old children in New York City. Mamdani, a week into taking office, had centered no-cost childcare for New Yorkers in his winning campaign to address cost of living.

The two Democrats need each other — Mamdani, a democratic socialist, has to make good on sweeping proposals in the nation’s largest city, and Hochul, a moderate, needs to show receipts as she faces re-election in 2026. The childcare plan, part of Hochul's budget proposal, would need approval by the Legislature as part of the state's budget.

“There’s one thing that every family in New York can agree on, the cost of childcare is simply too high,” Hochul said in a statement.

New York City already has universal preschool for 4-year-old children, and offers 3-K, or early childhood education for 3-year-old students.

Hochul and Mamdani are set to launch the free childcare program beginning at 2 years old within New York City. Hochul’s office said she is committed to fully funding the first two years of the expansion. 

“This victory represents much more than a triumph of city and state government working in partnership,” Mamdani said in a statement, “it is proof that when New Yorkers come together, we can transform the way government serves working families.”

Details of how to fund the proposal weren’t immediately available, though it’s expect to cost $6 billion annually in New York City.

Hochul’s office said the first year of the program will focus on high-need areas identified by New York City, and expand to serve all families interested in the program by year four. Meanwhile, the governor is expected to partner with the mayor to improve the city’s 3-K program to achieve universal access.

The proposal, part of Hochul's upcoming State of the State address, will affect nearly 100,000 more children, according to the governor's office. The state will then partner with the city to have a “2-Care” model for free childcare.

Meanwhile, the proposal aims to have all 4 year olds have pre-K access by the 2028-29 school year.

A 2025 state comptroller’s report found childcare in New York was hampered by staff shortages, too few slots and the second highest cost in the nation, at around $14,621 annually. Some areas have also been affected by so-called "deserts" for childcare, with declining numbers of providers.

As USA TODAY reported, New York state has already spent billions to expand childcare access, including through vouchers and reimbursements.

State Senate Minority Leader Robert Ortt, a Republican, said his conference recognized access to affordable, quality childcare is an important issue.

“But it can’t be solved by throwing more taxpayer dollars at it without addressing the underlying issues that have exacerbated the problem: staffing shortages, lack of infrastructure, and the high cost of doing business,” he said in a statement.

Ortt pointed to investigations surrounding Minnesota’s childcare fraud scandal, related to COVID-19 pandemic-era loans, adding “there must be safeguards in place to ensure the funding is actually going where it needs to go.”

The Legislature would need to approve the latest childcare proposal in the state budget, which is due April 1.

This story was updated with new information.

Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Reach him by email at [email protected] or on Signal at emcuevas.01.