Hochul, Mamdani unveil $1.7B taxpayer-funded child care plan

(The Center Square) — New York City will provide free child care for 2-year-olds following an agreement between Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani, announced Thursday.

Hochul said her administration has committed $1.7 billion to fund the first two years of the program, beginning with “high-needs areas” before expanding to the rest of the city. She said the initiative, which will be included in her state of the state address next week, is part of larger efforts to make child care subsidized statewide.

“There’s one thing that every family in New York can agree on, the cost of childcare is simply too high,” Hochul, a Democrat, said in remarks Thursday. “Today, I’m proud to partner with Mayor Mamdani and leaders across our state to make this a reality, turning that foundation into a concrete roadmap that will transform the lives of working parents and kids across our state.”

For Mamdani, Hochul’s support for the initiative helps him fulfill a key campaign promise for universal child care in t...