Overview
- Gov. Kathy Hochul is developing a statewide approach that would start with two-year-olds and phase toward free care through age five, according to NY1.
- Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is planning a city program guaranteeing no-cost care from six weeks to age five with wage parity for child-care workers, at an estimated $6 billion annually.
- Former state budget director Robert Mujica estimates an eventual statewide cost near $15 billion and argues phased expansion could proceed without new taxes.
- New York City families face average annual costs of about $18,200 for family-based infant and toddler care and roughly $26,000 at centers, with potential savings up to $26,000 per child under a universal model.
- Advocates and experts urge a phased rollout that expands capacity and raises pay, noting current 3-K and pre-K serve about 103,000 children and still have waitlists.