Hochul, Mamdani announce child care plans, including boosting access to pre-kindergarten

ALBANY — Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday announced plans to increase access to universal pre-kindergarten, boost child care subsidies by $1.2 billion, increase the child care workforce and simplify the child and dependent tax credit as part of her 2026 legislative agenda.

Under Hochul’s universal pre-K expansion plans, all 4-year-olds in the state would have access to pre-K by the 2028-29 school year, according to a news release provided to Newsday in advance of the announcement.

The Democrat appeared with newly elected New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to announce the child care proposals as well as plans to increase access to 3-K for 3-year-olds in the city and launch a program known as "2-Care" for 2-year-olds — helping Mamdani deliver one of his campaign promises.

"The families have been crying for help, whether you live in Flatbush or you live upstate or in the Finger Lakes, this is something all families can agree on: The cost of child care is too damn high!" Hochul told a crowd of advocates, community leaders and some local lawmakers gathered inside the gymnasium of the Flatbush YMCA in Brooklyn Thursday morning.

The proposals, which aim to increase affordable child care for nearly 100,000 kids, are a focal point of Hochul’s legislative agenda this year. They come as she and the 213 members of the State Legislature are up for election in November.

Affordability is expected to be a top priority this session, with lawmakers also pledging to address the need for affordable child care as well as lowering health care and utility costs.

Hochul is slated to present her full agenda on Jan. 13 in her State of the State address. Details on how she plans to pay for it will be released a week later in her budget proposal. The state is facing a $4.2 billion budget gap for fiscal 2027, which begins April 1.

Assemb. Josh Jensen (R-Greece) said he was encouraged by the announcement but questioned how it would be funded. "The state's primary response to the child care crisis has been to throw money at the problem and expect better results," he said in an emailed statement. "Do we have the capacity to meet the needs in every urban, suburban and rural part of our state, or will this simply be a proposal to satisfy New York City and Mayor Mamdani?"

Sen. Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick (R-Malverne) said she agrees with the need to expand access, but similarly questioned the spending as well as the political motivation.

"Governor Hochul is once again prioritizing New York City over the rest of the state and focusing simply on throwing money at the problem, rather than a comprehensive effort to bring down the costs of child care and ensure New Yorkers can keep more of their hard-earned dollars," she said in an emailed statement. 

Expanding child care

Not all districts have been able to make pre-K available in the state due to a number of factors including cost, need for space, lack of staff and the complexity of the state funding that comes from multiple sources rather than one funding stream. Pre-K programs aim to help better prepare children to enter kindergarten.

Hochul is proposing roughly $500 million toward adding new seats and increasing funding for existing seats up to $10,000 or the district’s current aid per pupil under the state aid formula, whichever is greater, according to the release.

New York City already has universal pre-K and 3-K programs, but Hochul plans to partner with Mamdani to strengthen the 3-K program to ensure it is accessible for all. The proposed 2-Care program would focus first on high-need areas and over four years expand to all interested families, according to the release.

"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 government serves working families," Mamdani said in the release. 

The governor proposed a new Office of Child Care and Early Education to oversee and support the rollout and expansion of the child care programs.

She also called for expanding the state’s Child Care Assistance Program, which currently serves 170,000 children and keeps child care costs to no more than $15 a week, and launching child care pilot projects in counties outside New York City.

Plans to simplify the child and dependent care tax credit are expected to provide an "additional average benefit of $575 for 230,000 tax filers," according to the release.

Hochul also plans to increase scholarships and grants to help grow the child care workforce, as well as directing the state and city university systems to expand and streamline early childhood education programs.

Child care advocates applauded the announcement.

"This plan reflects what families have been fighting for, including a statewide pre-K guarantee and funding for 2-Care," Rebecca Bailin, executive director of New Yorkers United for Child Care, said in an emailed statement. "It offers a real path to making New York affordable for working families."

Newsday's Candice Ferrette contributed to this story.