Hochul and Mamdani Announce $73 Million for Free Childcare for 2-Year-Olds in New York City

Governor Kathy Hochul and newly inaugurated NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced $73 million to launch free childcare for 2,000 two-year-olds in New York City in year one, scaling to 12,000 seats at $425 million annually by year two. The "2-CARE" program complements the existing 3-K initiative. Hochul also pledged $1.2 billion in additional statewide childcare subsidies, bringing the total subsidy pool to over $3 billion — more than triple pre-Hochul levels.