All Four-Year-Old Children in New York State to Have Pre-K Access by the 2028-29 School Year
Our Bureau
New York, NY
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has announced an unprecedented new investment aimed at delivering affordable, universal child care for children under the age of five across New York State. As part of the next phase of this effort, the Governor will partner with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to offer free child care for two-year-olds in New York City, while strengthening the city’s existing 3-K program to achieve truly universal access and ultimately serve all families.
Beginning in 2026, the state will continue expanding access to high-quality child care statewide through a range of delivery models, a move expected to save New York families billions of dollars each year. Since taking office, Governor Hochul has already invested more than $8 billion in child care infrastructure, laying the foundation for the statewide implementation of 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 said the announcement represents the fulfillment of a growing grassroots demand for affordability and dignity for working families. “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,” he said. “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 government serves working families.”
As part of her State of the State agenda, Governor Hochul’s investments will deliver affordable child care to nearly 100,000 additional children. The plan includes making Pre-K truly universal statewide, partnering with New York City to launch the mayor’s signature 2-Care program while fulfilling the promise of universal 3-K access, supporting other counties in developing child care pilots regardless of income, and expanding child care subsidies to tens of thousands of families. Alongside these initiatives, the Governor will establish a new Office of Child Care and Early Education to oversee implementation.
The announcement builds on substantial progress already made under Governor Hochul’s leadership. In just four years, the state has more than doubled the number of children served by child care vouchers, with nearly a 25 percent increase in the past year alone. New York has invested more than $8.6 billion in child care, including more than doubling funding for subsidies. Eligibility has been dramatically expanded by raising the income threshold from 200 percent of the federal poverty level to the maximum allowed under federal law—85 percent of the statewide median income. For most families receiving subsidies, weekly child care costs are now capped at $15.
The state has also increased reimbursement rates for providers by nearly 50 percent, supporting workforce retention and quality care, and committed more than $150 million in capital funding to support the creation of thousands of new child care seats and centers.
A major pillar of the plan is achieving truly universal Pre-K. While many districts already offer Pre-K for four-year-olds, dozens still lack access. Governor Hochul is committing additional funding to ensure universal Pre-K statewide by the start of the 2028–2029 school year. The state will fund new seats while increasing support for existing ones, raising per-pupil funding to the greater of $10,000 or the district’s current foundation aid rate. This roughly $500 million commitment is designed to ensure every child enters kindergarten ready to learn.
In New York City, the state will partner with the Mamdani administration to launch 2-Care, an unprecedented program offering free child care for two-year-olds. Governor Hochul will fully fund the first two years of implementation. The program will initially focus on high-need neighborhoods and expand citywide by year four. At the same time, the state will work with the city to strengthen and stabilize the 3-K program to ensure it delivers universal access as originally intended.
Beyond New York City, the Governor will launch innovative pilot programs in counties ready to expand child care access. These pilots will support universal, full-day, year-round care through partnerships among counties, local child care entities, and the state.
To coordinate these efforts, the new Office of Child Care and Early Education will oversee Pre-K, 3-K, 2-Care, subsidy expansion, workforce support, and innovative care models statewide. Workforce development will include expanded scholarships, exploration of new Workforce Pell grants, and steps by SUNY and CUNY to streamline early childhood education programs.
Governor Hochul will also expand and simplify the child and dependent care tax credit, providing an average additional benefit of $575 to 230,000 tax filers, and review employer tax incentives to better support working families’ child care needs.
Together, the initiatives mark the most ambitious child care expansion in New York’s history, positioning universal child care as a cornerstone of the state’s affordability agenda.
