Governor Hochul and Mayor Mamdani Announce the Launch of City’s 2-K Application Process

Major Milestone To Delivering Free Childcare for All Two-Year-Olds in NYC

Part of Governor’s Commitment to Achieving Universal Childcare Statewide

Governor Kathy Hochul today joined Mayor Mamdani to announce the launch of the application process for the first 2,000 2-K seats available this fall in four distinct communities. This announcement is part of their efforts to deliver free childcare for all two-year-olds in New York City. Today’s program opening was made possible by the Governor’s significant allocation of $73 million to establish the first 2,000 2-K seats in the city. With continued State support, the State’s investment in 2-K is expected to grow to $425 million by next year.

“Today, for the first time, families across NYC can begin applying for free childcare for their two-year-old, making the dream of 2-K in NYC finally a reality,” said Governor Hochul. “No parent should have to choose between a job they love and a child they can’t afford to care for. That’s why we're putting this city and state on a path to universal childcare, delivering relief for working families and ensuring every kid gets the strong start they deserve.”

The Governor’s support for New York City’s 2-Care program is part of her larger and unprecedented increase in funding, including a $1.2 billion commitment to support early childcare and early education efforts in New York City. These funds will support the City’s existing infrastructure to open new 3-K seats to serve families across the city in addition to providing continued support for the Childcare Assistance Program (CCAP).

The initial communities that will receive 2,000 New York City 2-K seats are:

• Washington Heights and Inwood
• Fordham and Kingsbridge
• East Brooklyn: Canarsie, Brownsville, and Ocean Hill
• Ozone Park and Rockaways

To complement the rollout of 2-K in New York City, the State will continue to expand access to high-quality childcare programs statewide through various models in 2026, saving families in New York billions of dollars annually. With the State’s FY27 investments, Governor Hochul has now made more than $11.8 billion in childcare funding available statewide, dramatically expanding access and putting New York on a path to delivering universal childcare across the state. The total FY27 investment for childcare and prekindergarten services across the state will be $4.5 billion and will:

• Make Pre-K truly universal statewide with funding to make high-quality Pre-K seats available for all four-year-olds in New York by the start of the 2028-29 school year, while also increasing State grants to existing programs to ensure high-quality care.
• Enhance the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit to help defray childcare expenses for 230,000 New York families by providing an average benefit of $576.
• Support the development of New York’s ‘First 3’ program, which will partner with counties to offer high-quality, affordable childcare to children aged 0-3 years, regardless of income.
• Make historic investments in the Childcare Assistance Program, delivering high-quality, affordable childcare to tens of thousands of additional young New Yorkers that is capped at $15 a week for most families.
• Support the childcare workforce by increasing the rates paid to providers by 48 percent and through early childhood educator preparation.