Maria Tsvetkova
NEW YORK, March 3 (Reuters) – New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and state Governor Kathy Hochul jointly announced on Tuesday that the largest U.S. city will offer 2,000 free child care spaces to two-year-olds starting later this year, the first step toward realizing the new mayor’s ambitious commitment to free child care for all.
Leaders said the plan would provide 12,000 free spots for about 100,000 New Yorkers aged two next year but would not require a tax increase that Mamdani sought but the governor opposed. He and Hochul have not discussed financing plans beyond next year.
Funding for the program called 2K — $73 million in the first year and $425 million in the second — will come from New York state and is part of a $1.2 billion commitment by the state to invest in free early child care.
“We could do that with existing revenue,” Hochul said when asked by reporters about the possibility of raising taxes to fund the plan. “Please accept what I say as your answer.”
Mamdani did not disclose the cost of the program during his appearance, but said, “We are making what Wall Street calls a good investment. Researchers estimate the return on every dollar spent on early child care is as high as $13.”
Expanding universal child care, rent freezes and free buses are central to Mamdani’s campaign. His first term began in January.
Funding issues have become an obstacle to abolishing bus fares. Asked about free buses last month, the mayor said “it’s still a budget issue” as the city seeks alternative revenue for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the public transportation network run by New York state.
Prices for rent-stabilized apartments, which Mamdani promised to freeze, will be discussed later this year at a meeting of the Rent Guidelines Committee, which sets rent adjustments for the city’s roughly 1 million regulated units. Last month, Mamdani appointed the majority of the board, including the chairman.
A meeting regarding future rental rates has not yet been scheduled. Last year, the board was held in late June.
(Reporting by Maria Tsvetkova; Editing by Donna Bryson and David Garfin)
