Governor Kathy Hochul has announced a significant investment aimed at providing universal, affordable child care for children under five across New York State. The initiative includes a partnership with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to offer free child care for two-year-olds in the city and strengthen the existing 3K program to move toward universal coverage.
The plan for 2026 will expand access to high-quality child care through multiple models, which is expected to save families billions of dollars each year. Since taking office, Governor Hochul has overseen more than $8 billion invested in the state’s child care infrastructure, which has substantially increased access and laid the foundation for statewide universal child care.
“There’s one thing that every family in New York can agree on, the cost of childcare is simply too high,” Governor Hochul said. “As New York’s first mom Governor, fighting for New York’s families has always been at the core of my agenda. Since taking office, I’ve put families front and center, fighting to make our state more affordable and laying the groundwork to deliver universal childcare. 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.”
Mayor Mamdani commented on the partnership: “Over the past 14 months, a movement was born to fight for a city where every New Yorker could afford a life of dignity and every family could afford to raise their kids. Today, Governor Hochul and I meet that movement as we celebrate our joint commitment to universal child care. This victory represents much more than a triumph of city and state government working in partnership — it is proof that when New Yorkers come together, we can transform the way the government serves working families.”
The new investments include an additional $1.7 billion increase in funding, bringing total planned spending on childcare and prekindergarten services statewide up to $4.5 billion by fiscal year 2027. The proposals outlined as part of Governor Hochul’s 2026 State of the State agenda aim to make Pre-K universally available statewide; launch NYC’s “2-Care” program offering free care for two-year-olds; support counties launching pilot programs offering high-quality affordable care regardless of income; and expand subsidies so tens of thousands more families are eligible.
A new Office of Child Care and Early Education will be established to oversee implementation efforts across these programs.
Governor Hochul’s administration reports having doubled the number of children served by vouchers over four years (with nearly a 25% rise just in the last year), provided over $8.6 billion for child care including doubling subsidy funds, expanded eligibility by raising income thresholds from about $64,000 (200% federal poverty level) up to roughly $114,000 (85% median income) for a family of four, capped most subsidized families’ weekly costs at $15 per week, increased provider reimbursement rates by almost 50%, and invested over $150 million in capital funding for new centers.
“Since taking office, I’ve put families front and center, fighting to make our state more affordable and laying the groundwork to deliver universal childcare. Today, I’m proud to partner with Mayor Mamdani and leaders across our state to make this a reality.” – Governor Kathy Hochul
To achieve truly universal Pre-K by fall 2028-29 school year throughout all districts—including those not currently offering it—the state will fund additional seats as well as increase support per pupil up to at least $10,000 or local foundation aid levels.
For New York City specifically—which already offers universal Pre-K—Governor Hochul pledges full funding for two years toward implementing free two-year-old care (“2-Care”) starting with highest-need neighborhoods before expanding citywide within four years. The administration also intends further improvements toward full access under its existing “3K” program.
Outside NYC, innovative pilot projects are set for counties readying broader community-based child care initiatives serving all incomes through collaborations between county governments and New York State.
The administration continues its commitment by increasing annual investment in subsidies (Child Care Assistance Program) from pre-Hochul levels ($832 million) up over threefold—to more than $3 billion—supporting about 170,000 children annually while keeping most family costs low ($15/week).
Additional steps include strengthening workforce development through expanded scholarships/grants for early childhood educators via SUNY/CUNY systems; expanding/simplifying tax credits related to dependent care—expected average benefit: $575 extra per filer—for roughly 230,000 filers; plus reviewing employer tax incentives around employee childcare needs.
