New York Inched Toward Universal Child Care as Gov. Hochul Unveils Multi-Billion-Dollar Plan

By Carl Campanile, Vaughn Golden, Hannah Fierick, and Matt Troutman | New York Post | Jan. 8, 2026

New York made significant strides toward fulfilling Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s ambitious promise of universal child care Thursday, as Governor Kathy Hochul introduced a multi-billion-dollar initiative aimed at vastly expanding programs for young children.

The proposed “2-Care” program will offer universal childcare to all 2-year-olds in New York City. In addition to this, the plan includes an expansion of existing pre-K and early childcare programs throughout the rest of the state. According to Hochul, this initiative will eventually provide care for 100,000 more children across New York.

Standing alongside Governor Hochul at a press event held at the Flatbush YMCA, Mayor Mamdani celebrated the announcement, emphasizing how this plan will ease the financial burden many families face when paying for childcare in the city.

“We are now going to be able to fix 3-K, we are going to be able to deliver 2-Care universally across this city over the next four years, and we are going to make it easier to raise a family in a city where today it’s a good deal if you can get $22,500 a year for childcare,” Mamdani said. “Those days are now coming to an end.”

The total cost of Hochul’s “free” childcare proposals is estimated at $4.5 billion statewide, including $1.7 billion in new spending. The governor emphasized that funding for the program would come from existing state revenues rather than new taxes.

In an interview with PIX11, Hochul revealed that tax revenue generated from Wall Street bonuses, which have been particularly strong, would help cover the program’s expenses. However, she firmly ruled out implementing new taxes on the wealthy, which Mayor Mamdani and his allies from the Democratic Socialists of America have advocated for.

“Because I don’t think it makes sense to tax anyone, or the wealthy in particular, just for the sake of raising taxes,” Governor Hochul stated.

This childcare expansion will be a centerpiece of Hochul’s upcoming “State of the State” address next week, signaling a major policy push to support families and early childhood education across New York.

Read more at nypost.com.

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