On Oct. 5, Mayor Mamdani and the NYC Administration for Children’s Services announced the city will deliver free child care to more than 10,000 children by moving them off the city's voucher program waitlist, according to a press release from the Office of the Mayor.
According to Chalkbeat, the waitlist for New York City’s voucher program had grown to over 30,000 kids as of this month — the announced vouchers will relieve one third of children on that waitlist.
"In partnership with Mayor Mamdani, we're building a child care system that lifts up every family, from launching 2-K and expanding 3-K to moving families off waitlists and into high-quality care," said Gov. Kathy Hochul. “No family should struggle to afford the child care they need and deserve, and I'll keep fighting to deliver universal child care for every family across our city and state."
The announcement comes after the $1.2 billion investment by Hochul, including $475 million specifically to child care vouchers, will support low-income children ages 6 weeks to 13 years, and through age 19 for children with special needs.
The program will provide an average of $300 a week to pay for childcare services and will prioritize families with incomes below 300 percent of the federal poverty line.
The investment matches a growing demand for the program. Total voucher enrollment has grown from around 40,000 in 2021 to about 113,000 today, Chalkbeat reported.
"Families across Brooklyn and the Assembly District 58 know firsthand that access to quality, affordable child care can make all the difference," said Monique Chandler-Waterman, Assemblymember representing East Flatbush. "As a mother of four, a former child care provider and now a legislator, I am proud to support this investment in our children and families; and grateful to Mayor Mamdani and Governor Hochul for making child care access a priority."
In his announcement, the Mayor said that this step was only the beginning, and that the government will continue to take children off the waitlist on a rolling basis.
