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These NYC neighborhoods will get free child care for 2-year-olds first, Mamdani says
By
Karen Yi
Published Mar 3, 2026
Modified Mar 3, 2026
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Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
By
Karen Yi
Published Mar 3, 2026
Modified Mar 3, 2026
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Mayor Zohran Mamdani has announced the first New York City neighborhoods where he plans to roll out free child care for 2-year-olds starting this fall.
The communities include parts of Upper Manhattan, the Bronx, Southeast Queens, and Central and Eastern Brooklyn. Tuesday's announcement sets in motion the mayor's ambitious proposal with Gov. Kathy Hochul to provide free care for 2-year-olds, regardless of their family’s income or immigration status.
“Raising a child takes a village – and it takes a city government willing to step up and tackle the child care crisis head-on,” Mamdani said in a statement. “Launching free 2-K in these four neighborhoods is just the beginning of our work to put money back in New Yorkers’ pockets, strengthen our entire economy and help more families build their lives here.”
The first communities offering seats will include:
- School District 6: Washington Heights, Hamilton Heights and Inwood
- School District 10: Northwest Bronx including Fordham, Belmont, Norwood, Morris Heights, Van Cortlandt Village and Kingsbridge
- School Districts 18 and 23: Canarsie, Remsen Village, Brownsville and Ocean Hill
- School District 27: Ozone Park, South Ozone Park, Richmond Hill, Howard Beach, Woodhaven and the Rockaways
Hochul has promised to pay for the first two years of the program, including $73 million for the first 2,000 slots and $425 million the following year.
On Tuesday, she said she was committed to seeing 2-K expanded.
“ The state of New York is not walking away. This is something I believe to my core. There's no way I could walk away from a commitment to these beautiful little children. Not now, not ever,” she said, standing next to Mamdani at the Sugarhill Children’s Museum in Washington Heights for the announcement Tuesday.
During a New York City Council hearing on child care Monday, city officials said they would be utilizing child care centers and home-based providers for the 2-care program.
Emmy Liss, executive director of the Mayor's Office of Child Care and Early Childhood Education, also said the city was exploring both school-day programs that are six hours long and full-day programs that run until 5 or 6 p.m.
But as the city expands its free child care program to include 2-year-olds, it’ll have to grapple with an industry where workers earn low wages and struggle to retain employees. There are also big differences between what workers are paid depending on the kind of setting they work in.
Anna Succès is a lead teacher at a center-based program in Queens, but said she earns half of what a worker with her same experience and credentials earns at a program run by the city’s Department of Education.
“ It doesn't matter how many years they've been teaching. We're not paid for our experience. Brand new DOE teachers with no experience at all are paid more than I am,” she said during public testimony at Monday’s hearing.
The Mamdani administration has not detailed if they plan to boost worker pay, but previously acknowledged it’s an issue they’re aware of.
The 2-K program will start in September and is expected to enroll 12,000 children by fall 2027.
This story has been updated with new information.
Tagged
childcare
economy
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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