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NYC parents looking for child care have a new tool at their fingertips
By
Karen Yi
Published Apr 1, 2026
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By
Karen Yi
Published Apr 1, 2026
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New York City parents looking for information about child care programs have a new, easy-to-use tool at their disposal: a searchable map, courtesy of City Hall.
The mobile-friendly map, which the Mamdani administration unveiled on Wednesday, includes information on the city’s more than 10,000 child care programs for young children. City officials say it’s a time-saving resource that will help parents better understand what’s available to them.
“Parents already carry so much,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a statement. “For too long, finding child care has meant hours of searching, cross-checking lists and relying on word of mouth. In New York City, finding care for your child shouldn’t feel like a second job.”
He added, “This tool is about making government work for people — simple, clear and accessible — so every parent can make the best decision for their child.”
The rollout comes ahead of the Mamdani administration’s plans to start free child care for 2,000 2-year-olds this fall and add more than 1,000 seats to the city’s existing program for 3-year-olds.
New York City’s child care landscape can be incredibly confusing and information on the types of programs are often scattered across several websites. The city’s health and education departments, as well as the state, have separate search tools for parents, depending on how programs are funded and licensed.
New York City’s teachers union also launched its own map last October.
The Mamdani administration says the city’s new map is a one-stop shop that will let users type in their address and find child care programs nearby, whether they are located in a home, center or school.
The map lists how far each location is from a specific address, the name and contact information of the provider, hours of operation, whether the program is year-round or just for the school year and if it’s free. It also links to inspection reports.
“Parents have had to scramble and stress to find child care — relying on Facebook groups and Google spreadsheets just to figure out what was available,” said Kellan Calder, a parent and organizer for New Yorkers United for Child Care.
“This is what it looks like when an administration truly invests into social services — not just expanding child care programs, but making sure parents actually know about them,” Calder said.
The map, which was designed with parental input, will be available in multiple languages and include a short questionnaire to help guide parents to programs that may better meet their needs. The map is available at nyc.gov/childcare.
This month, the Mamdani administration is also asking parents with young children to complete a survey to help guide child care policy.
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child care
new york city
Karen Yi
Karen Yi covers homelessness and poverty. She joined the WNYC and Gothamist newsroom in 2020. Before that, Karen covered Newark for the Star-Ledger and spent almost a decade working for newspapers in New Jersey and Florida. She grew up in Miami and has a dog named Cashew. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or Signal 917-589-1460.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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