Hochul and Mamdani to unveil free child care plan in New York City

NEW YORK (AP) - New York City parents may soon have access to free child care for their 2-year-olds, under a plan set to be unveiled Thursday by Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

The two Democrats are expected to detail the program at a news conference Thursday morning, along with a pledge from Hochul to pursue a wider, statewide child care initiative.

"There's one thing that every family in New York can agree on, the cost of childcare is simply too high," Hochul said in a statement, adding that she is "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."

For Mamdani, the announcement is the first step in fulfilling one of his trademark campaign promises, marking a major boon for the mayor just days after he took office with the promise of implementing a transformative agenda centered on making the city a more affordable place to live.

"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," he said in a statement.

Hochul, a moderate who is up for reelection this year, has been politically aligned with the city's new progressive mayor on his plan to offer free child care in the city, though questions remained on how the program could take shape.

In a statement provided by the governor's office, Hochul said she is committing to funding the first two years of the city's free child care program for 2-year-olds, describing it as an expansion of the city's existing pre-K program.

The first year will focus on "high-need areas" selected by the city, then expand across the city by its fourth year, according to the statement.

Additionally, Hochul's office said she will work to expand access to universal pre-K statewide, with the goal of having the program available throughout New York by the start of the 2028-29 school year.