New Data Highlights Importance of Governor Hochul’s Plan to Deliver Universal Child Care Statewide for Millions of New York Families

Governor Kathy Hochul today underscored the importance of her plan to deliver universal child care for children under five years old across the state by highlighting the link between universal, affordable child care and a more affordable and prosperous state. Women in Need (Win) President Christine Quinn joined Governor Hochul to meet with families experiencing homelessness to discuss the difficulty of finding affordable child care options, and how universal child care would ease a significant financial burden for these families and others around the state.

“My administration is laser-focused on making life more affordable and livable for New Yorkers — and that’s exactly why expanding access to affordable child care has been a top priority of mine since day one,”

Governor Hochul said.

“For far too many families from all walks of life, the massive expense of child care creates an insurmountable burden on their monthly budgets. Universal child care gives all families the chance to thrive — no matter their income status or neighborhood. Every New Yorker deserves a roof over their heads, a meal on the table, and a safe place to raise their kids.”

Win President and CEO Christine C. Quinn said,

“Achieving universal child care for our most vulnerable families is critical to solving New York’s unprecedented homelessness crisis. We know that parents cannot provide for themselves and their families if they cannot go to work, and they can’t go to work if they do not have access to safe, reliable, and affordable child care. Today, there are more children sleeping in New York City’s homeless shelters than there are seats in Yankee Stadium and 3,600 children sleeping in Win shelters each night — that is a tragedy. We released this report to expose the devastating reality that inaccessible child care is a key driver of housing instability for parents living in shelters. No parent should have to choose between caring for their child and earning a paycheck.”

There is a clear link between economic instability and a lack of accessible, affordable child care. According to data released today by Win, 78 percent of those surveyed — New Yorkers living in Win facilities, specifically families with children — faced one or more types of job disruption due to difficulty in accessing child care. That includes losing a job, turning down a promotion, or reducing work hours.

This data underscores the importance of the Governor’s unprecedented investment to deliver affordable, universal child care for children under five years of age across New York State.

Earlier this week, Governor Hochul joined Mayor Mamdani to announce a huge step in their plan to deliver free child care for two-year-olds in New York City. This

milestone achievement

was made possible through the Governor’s historic $1.2 billion investment to support early child early child care and early education efforts in New York City, which includes a significant allocation of $73 million to establish the first 2,000 2-K seats in the city. In addition to the State’s existing commitment to strengthen the City’s 3K infrastructure to serve all families across the city. With continued State support, the State’s investment in 2K is expected to grow to $425 million by next year.

Manhattan Borough President Brad Holman-Sigal said,

“I’m grateful to Governor Hochul, Mayor Mamdani, and Christine Quinn for shining a light on the clear connection between access to child care and family homelessness. Win’s report makes plain that when parents can’t find or afford reliable child care, it becomes far harder to keep a job, maintain stability, and move their families out of shelter. In Manhattan, where infant care can cost $25,000 to $30,000 a year, these pressures are especially severe. Governor Hochul’s leadership and her commitment to expanding access to child care will make a real difference for working families and help more parents secure the stability their children deserve.”

The Governor’s statewide plan also includes:

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.

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.

Launch of New Innovative Pilot Programs with Counties Statewide

In 2026, Governor Hochul launched a new State pilot program partnering with Dutchess County, Monroe County and Broome County to help counties offer additional child care options in their communities. This pilot program includes a total of $60 million in State funding in addition to new investments from each of the three counties. These investments will help these counties to expand child care access, particularly focusing on serving 0-3-year-old children through year-round, full-day care for thousands of families across these communities, regardless of income.

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.

Governor Hochul’s administration has been laser-focused on achieving affordable child care for all families in New York. Specifically, the State has already accomplished:

More than doubling the number of children served by child care vouchers in just four years, with an almost 25 percent increase in the past 12 months alone.

Providing more than $8.6 billion for child care, including more than doubling funding for subsidies.

Dramatically expanding the number of families who are eligible by increasing the maximum income from 200 percent of Federal poverty level (roughly $64,000 for a family of four) to the maximum allowed under Federal law — 85 percent of Statewide median income (roughly $114,000 for a family of four).

Reducing the amount those receiving subsidy pay by capping costs at $15 per week for most families.

Increasing reimbursement rates for providers by nearly 50 percent, helping providers retain staff and provide quality care for children across the state.

Supporting the future creation of thousands of child care seats and new centers through more than $150 million in capital funding.