Governor Hochul Announces Historic Investment in Child Care in Major Win for New York Families
After years of relentless advocacy, Moms First helped push New York to make child care a top economic priority for families and the workforce.
New York, NY — Today, Governor Kathy Hochul announced a historic child care investment for New York, including free child care for two-year-olds in New York City, a milestone made possible by a fundamental shift in how child care fights are won.
For decades, child care was framed as a personal struggle for moms, not as a core economic issue for employers and the state. Moms First helped change that, and New York is now the proof point.
“Governor Hochul’s announcement is a turning point for families across the state,” said Reshma Saujani, Founder and CEO of Moms First. “It shows what’s possible when parents, businesses, and policymakers come together and treat child care as the economic priority it has always been. New York just proved it can be done, now it’s time to take this blueprint and make every city in the country a place where families can afford to raise their kids.”
Governor Hochul’s investment will:
- Deliver affordable child care for nearly 100,000 more kids
- Make Pre-K truly universal statewide by the 2028–29 school year
- Partner with New York City to launch the Mayor’s signature 2-Care program, offering free child care for two-year-olds and finally delivering on the promise of universal 3K
- Support counties across the state in launching innovative child care pilots that provide high-quality, affordable care regardless of income
- Expand child care subsidies to tens of thousands more families, while capping costs at $15 per week for most families
How Moms First Helped Make This Happen
Moms First bet on a different strategy to win child care in New York: treat child care like the economic priority it is and bring business to the center of the fight.
That work included:
- Helping pass the Marshall Plan for Moms Taskforce in 2022 to chart a path to universal child care
- Working with Governor Hochul beginning in 2023 to lay the groundwork for large-scale investment
- Launching PaidLeave.AI in New York, with the Governor as a key partner, before expanding it nationally
- Mobilizing the National Business Coalition for Child Care, the only national network of employers advocating for child care, including New York companies like Etsy, Chobani, and Micron Technology
- Elevating child care as a top affordability issue during a pivotal mayoral election through relentless press and public pressure
- Activating tens of thousands of New York City moms to demand child care as a top voting issue
- Partnering with Kathy Wylde and the Partnership for New York to bring the state’s most powerful business voices into the conversation
Today’s announcement reflects years of groundwork, and demonstrates that when child care is treated as economic infrastructure, real progress follows.
About Moms First
Moms First is fighting for America’s moms. Our mission is to win paid leave and child care as economic imperatives that allow families to thrive. Our vision is a country that values motherhood and supports moms and families. Learn more at momsfirst.us.