Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: TWO thousand 2-year-olds will be enrolled soon in child care that will not cost their parents a penny, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on March 3.
The availability of the 2,000 spots is the first step in fulfilling Mamdani’s campaign pledge to provide free child care to the approximately 100,000 children in the nation’s most populous city. “Today, my friends, is a special day because we are gathered together to mark a monumental moment of progress on the path to universal child care across New York City,” Mamdani said at a briefing with Hochul.
The child care will start in September in four communities, which were chosen “based on economic need, projected child care demand, existing access gaps, provider capacity and readiness,” the mayor’s office said.
Hochul has committed to spending $1.2 billion on universal child care through the end of 2027, and the first slots will cost $73 million, the governor’s office said. The state is expected to invest another $425 million by the end of the year, as officials work to expand the programme to 10,000 additional children soon. When asked whether higher taxes would be required to fund the programme in the future, Hochul said, “We did it with existing revenues.” Mamdani has backed raising taxes on wealthy New Yorkers, while Hochul has said she doesn’t support raising taxes without reason. Officials have said previously that illegal immigrants can sign up for free child care.
