Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced which neighborhoods will get 2-K, free child care this fall, with plans to expand citywide.
Back in January, Governor Kathy Hochul announced a new New York State childcare program for two-year-olds, called 2-Care. The plan takes a big step toward universal child care by offering free care for 2-year-olds in New York City and strengthening the city’s existing 3-K program.
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The program kicks off this September in neighborhoods that need it most, where child care is especially expensive and hard to find. After that, it will expand step by step, starting with communities City Hall has flagged as priorities and then spreading across the city.
At a Glance
- 2,000 free 2-K seats coming this fall
- First rollout targets four high-need neighborhoods
- Backed by major state funding
- Part of a larger universal child care plan
- Expansion expected in the coming years
NYC Neighborhoods to Get 2-K This September
Today, Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced that starting this fall, 2,000 free 2-K seats will open in four NYC communities:
- Manhattan: District 6: Washington Heights, Hamilton Heights, and Inwood
- The Bronx: District 10: Fordham, Belmont, Norwood, Morris Heights, Van Cortlandt Village, and Kingsbridge
- Brooklyn: Districts 18 and 23: Canarsie, Remsen Village, Brownsville, and Ocean Hill
- Queens: District 27: Ozone Park, South Ozone Park, Richmond Hill, Howard Beach, Woodhaven, and Rockaways
The rollout is backed by a $1.2 billion state commitment to early childhood care and education in NYC. That includes $73 million to fund the first 2,000 2-K seats and additional support to strengthen the city’s existing 3-K programs. State leaders expect investment in 2-K alone to grow to $425 million next year.
“As New York’s first mom Governor, achieving affordable, universal child care has been a key priority for my administration, and we are doing the work to see it through,” said Governor Hochul. “That’s why we didn’t hesitate to partner with New York City to lay the groundwork and fund not one, but two years to realize the full implementation of free child care for all two-year-olds across the city.”
The long-term goal is universal child care across the city, and eventually across New York State, which officials say could save families billions of dollars each year.
Across New York State, $4.5 billion will go toward child care and pre-K by 2027, helping nearly 100,000 more kids get access to early education.
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