Governor Hochul Announces Child Care Expansion Pilot Partnerships With 3 Counties as Part of Statewide Investments in Universal Child Care

Under New Pilot Program, State Will Partner With Dutchess, Monroe and Broome Counties to Expand Child Care in Their Communities

Part of Governor Hochul’s Statewide Plan to Deliver Universal Child Care For All New York Children Under 5 Through Statewide Universal Pre-K, Launch of 2-Care and Reaching Universal 3K Access in NYC, and Expanded Access to Child Care Subsidies

As part of her $4.5 billion investment to deliver statewide universal child care, Governor Hochul today announced the State will partner with Dutchess County, Monroe County and Broome County in a new State pilot program to help counties offer additional child care options in their communities. This pilot program will include a total of $60 million in State funding, along with new investments from each of the three counties, as they expand child care access with a particular focus on serving children 0-3.

This pilot program is one of many investments that Governor Hochul is making to help deliver universal child care for all under the age of five across New York State, saving New York families billions of dollars each year.

“I'll never stop working to make life more affordable for New Yorkers – and that's why my plan will deliver universal child care for families all across New York,” said Governor Hochul. “As part of my plan to support every county statewide, this new pilot program will help counties develop and expand new models for providing child care for families, regardless of their income status.”

Governor Hochul’s statewide plan to deliver universal child care for all New York children under the age of five also includes:

Achieving Truly Universal Pre-K

While four-year-olds in some parts of New York have long had access to Pre-K, there are dozens of school districts that have not yet been able to make it available. Governor Hochul is providing additional support to ensure truly universal Pre-K for all four-year-olds in the State by the start of the 2028-2029 school year.

The State will not only fund additional seats to achieve universality but will also increase funding for existing seats, bringing them up to the greater of $10,000 or the applicable school district’s current selected foundation aid per pupil, so that districts have what they need to provide high-quality Pre-K. This combination reflects a commitment of roughly a half-billion dollars and will ensure that every child in New York State enters kindergarten ready to learn.

Continuing Access to Low-Cost, Affordable Child Care Assistance Programs

Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, New York has more than doubled investment in the state’s Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), which provides subsidies to help low-income families access child care. By dramatically increasing the State’s investments in the program while expanding eligibility, the program now supports 2.5 times more children — an additional 100,000 — than when Governor Hochul took office; the number of children served has increased by almost 25 percent in the past year alone. Most of the families of the 170,000 children served by the program pay no more than $15 per week for child care.

This year, Governor Hochul will continue to grow the State’s investment in child care subsidies for those that need it most with a $1.2 billion increased investment, bringing the total available for subsidies to over $3 billion. This is more than 3.5 times more than the $832 million provided prior to the Governor taking office, and a nearly 40 percent increase from what was made available in the FY 2026 Enacted Budget.

Launching 2-Care and Reaching Universal 3K Access in NYC

New York City has already launched universal Pre-K and 3K, and Governor Hochul will partner with New York City to age this program down and launch an unprecedented initiative to offer entirely free child care for two-year-olds within New York City.

The Governor is committing to fully fund the first two years of the city’s implementation. As envisioned by the new mayoral administration, the first year of the program will focus on high-need areas selected by New York City and expand to serve all interested families across the city by year 4. In addition, the Governor will partner with New York City to strengthen and fix the city’s 3K program and ensure it achieves its promise of universal access.

Office of Child Care and Early Education

A new Office of Child Care and Early Education will drive the implementation of high-quality, universal child care in New York State. The Office will oversee and support roll out of universal Pre-K, continued investment in 3K, launch of 2-Care and other innovative care options, expansion and improvement of vouchers, and ongoing support for the workforce.

Supporting the Workforce Through Early Childhood Educator Preparation

Governor Hochul’s plan to strengthen New York’s early childhood education workforce includes expanding existing workforce scholarships, seeking opportunities for new Workforce Pell grants, and directing SUNY and CUNY to take a number of steps to expand and streamline early childhood education programs.

Expanding the Child and Dependent Care Credit to Better Support Families

Governor Hochul will expand and simplify the child and dependent care tax credit to provide an additional average benefit of $575 for 230,000 tax filers. She will also undertake a thorough review of existing tax incentives for employers with the goal of helping them better serve the child care needs of their employees.