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7h ago

Report Says Mamdani Childcare Plan Would Cost About $9 Billion a Year

The higher estimate creates a multibillion-dollar shortfall that would force the city to seek state or federal aid or raise new local revenue to make universal care possible.

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A group of preschool students swarm Mayor Mamdani with smiles in a classroom.
The proposed childcare program will cost the city $9 billion, according to a new estimate.

Overview

  • An independent model from the Center for New York City Affairs released Monday estimates universal free childcare for children under five in New York City would cost roughly $8.7–$9.3 billion a year, or about $27,000 per child.
  • The center calculates the price is about $3 billion more than Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s $6 billion campaign estimate and roughly $4–5 billion more than the city spent on childcare in fiscal 2025.
  • Most of the added cost comes from recommended pay increases and hiring roughly 23,000 new childcare workers to staff infant and toddler classrooms, which the report says are currently paid far below market rates.
  • Researchers say the city would need to create about 10,000 new infant and toddler seats and that tapping family childcare networks and state- or federally funded vouchers could be a lower-cost way to expand access.
  • City Hall has not published its own detailed cost model and declined to directly dispute the center’s figure, leaving a political fight over whether Albany, Washington or new local taxes must fill the gap.