Zohran Mamdani ran for mayor of New York City on an affordability platform that included free child care for every child from 6 weeks to 5 years old.
It is an ambitious and expensive plan that could take years to put into effect.
The mayor appeared with Gov. Kathy Hochul just over a week into his term to outline their plans to expand free child care this year. Ms. Hochul and Mr. Mamdani, who are Democrats and political allies, said they would stabilize the city’s free preschool program for 3-year-olds and start free child care for 2-year-olds, calling it “2-Care.”
Polls have found that the idea is broadly popular in the state. Many families pay more than $20,000 per child each year for day care — their largest expense besides housing.
New York City already offers free preschool for many 3- and 4-year-olds. If the program expands successfully to younger children, it could serve as a national model.
Here is what to know about the plan:
I have a baby or toddler. When will I get free child care?
Probably not right away.
Mr. Mamdani and Ms. Hochul said they would start to offer free child care this fall to roughly 2,000 families who have 2-year-olds in New York City.
The program will start in “high-need” neighborhoods and expand to all families with 2-year-olds over the next four years. Ms. Hochul said the state would pay for the first two years of the program, including $75 million this year.
Younger children could come later. Mr. Mamdani has said that expanding free child care to all children under 5 could eventually cost $6 billion per year.
The logistics will be complicated as officials work to recruit more child care workers and to open more centers.
The rollout of universal prekindergarten in 2014, a campaign pledge by former Mayor Bill de Blasio, moved quickly. The city created more than 30,000 seats in the first year. The expansion to 3-year-olds took longer, and some neighborhoods still do not have enough seats.
Mr. Mamdani has given himself some leeway. He committed to delivering on his entire agenda — including universal child care, free buses and rent freezes for rent-stabilized apartments — over the next eight years, or in two terms as mayor.
“By the time that I am done being the mayor of this city, this will be a reality for each and every New Yorker,” Mr. Mamdani told reporters this fall. “We’re going to be pushing every single day to deliver it as soon as possible.”
Why is it so expensive?
The cost includes paying for facilities, workers, food and activities. Caring for younger children is expensive.
Kindergarten classes often have more than 20 students. For infants, city law requires one worker for every three or four babies.
Cost estimates vary widely based on wage levels. Child care employees are some of New York’s lowest paid workers and earn as little as $25,000 each year. Mr. Mamdani supports raising wages closer to $85,000, the average for a kindergarten teacher.
Mr. Mamdani, a democratic socialist, has called for tax increases on wealthy New Yorkers and businesses to pay for the plan. But Ms. Hochul, a moderate who is friendly with business leaders, opposes raising personal income taxes and believes that she can provide initial funding for “2-Care” through the existing state budget.
Mr. Mamdani said he expected “2-Care” to cost $425 million during the second year.
Mr. Mamdani has sought to highlight the cost of doing nothing — how many families have left the city because it is too expensive, or how many mothers have left the work force because they cannot afford child care.
The plan could allow more than 14,000 mothers to return to work, generating $900 million in labor income, according to a report from the city comptroller.
Ms. Hochul is also working to expand free preschool and child care programs statewide and said the full cost could be $15 billion per year.
Who will get the first seats?
Ms. Hochul and Mr. Mamdani said that “2-Care” would start in “high-need areas selected by New York City.”
That will most likely be in working class neighborhoods where families are struggling or where there is limited access to child care.
The leaders said they also wanted to stabilize the city’s free preschool program for 3-year-olds, which faced budget cuts and tumult under former Mayor Eric Adams. Some neighborhoods have empty seats, and other neighborhoods do not have enough to meet demand. The state will provide $100 million for that effort.
“No longer will a family in Flatbush be offered a seat, but have to find out that the seat is in Astoria,” Mr. Mamdani said on Thursday. “We will add seats in the neighborhoods where demand has not been met.”
Have other places tried this?
No major American city offers universal child care. But the idea has gained momentum as affordability has become a national political issue.
New Mexico recently became the first state in the country to offer it. The state’s plan is expected to cost about $600 million per year and will be paid for in part with oil and gas tax revenue.
The Canadian province of Quebec has had a low-cost universal child care system since the 1990s. Many European countries offer subsidized child care, and Nordic countries have the most generous systems.
There have been calls for a national solution. In 2021, Congress considered but rejected major legislation to spend nearly $400 billion on universal prekindergarten and affordable child care programs.
What are some of the sticking points?
There are major questions over how much to pay workers and whether to include home-based day care centers and care provided by family members.
Mr. Mamdani has said that he wants to subsidize child care at home for families who “prefer to have a trusted neighbor or relative take care of their child,” meaning an aunt or a grandparent could be paid to watch a child in their family.
On Thursday, he said that home-based day care centers would be an important part of the program and that it would include “children with disabilities and children who live in our shelters.”
Julie Menin, the City Council speaker who appeared at the announcement with Mr. Mamdani and Ms. Hochul, said in an interview that she wanted to consider changing some regulations, such as a requirement that child care centers be on the ground floor.
“I’m deeply committed to universal child care,” she said. “There is a tremendous amount we can do legislatively.”
If the program starts in high-need neighborhoods, there is precedent. The city recently started a $10 million pilot program for free child care that prioritizes neighborhoods in the East Bronx and in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.
Emma G. Fitzsimmons is a public policy correspondent for The Times, covering New York City.
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