A RARE VICTORY: CHILDCARE IN NEW YORK
On 1/8/26 New York governor Kathy Hochul and New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a plan that would expand childcare options for nearly 100,000 young children, at a cost to the state of $4.5 billion the upcoming fiscal year. This includes $1.7 billion of new spending, which will expand childcare to all 4-year-olds statewide by 2028, allow NYC to fully fund its pre-school program for 3-year-olds, and create a new free childcare system for NYC’s 2-year-olds starting with 2,000 children in Fall 2026.
Childcare is a crippling cost for many young families, in which both parents need to work to maintain a decent standard of living. Let us hope that other cities and states will be following New York’s example.
Source: The New York Times,1/9/26