New York ‘s Universal Child Care Proposal Offers a Roadmap

New York State is making national headlines with a sweeping proposal to expand access to child care and early learning—but the real story is what made this moment possible. While the scale of the investment is historic, the groundwork behind it reflects years of local coordination, coalition building, and data-driven strategy.

Governor Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani recently announced a series of major investments aimed at building a universal child care system, including $1.2 billion to expand child care subsidies statewide, $500 million for universal Pre-K for all four-year-olds, $500 million to expand New York City’s 2-Care program, and $60 million to pilot universal child care for infants and toddlers in Broome, Dutchess, and Monroe Counties.

At Advocacy & Communication Solutions, we see New York’s progress as both a milestone and a signal. We’ve contributed to similar long-term strategy building through our multi-year partnership with Franklin County, Ohio where leaders are developing a comprehensive early learning strategy grounded in the belief that quality, affordable early learning is a birthright.

Under the New York proposal, each pilot county will receive $20 million in state funding, paired with a 10% local match, to support up to 1,000 new seats for children ages 0–3, with the first phase launching in 2027. As outlined in the Governor’s Executive Budget Report, these investments build directly on existing, county-led efforts to support children, families, and the early childhood workforce.

In Dutchess County, years of coordination through a countywide Early Learning Coalition have aligned local systems around access, quality, and kindergarten readiness. In June 2024, partners formalized this work through a countywide Accord focused on universal care, program quality, and a thriving wage for the early childhood workforce, positioning the county to unlock state investment.

In Monroe County, leaders paired increased child care funding with aggressive eligibility awareness and a broader anti-poverty strategy through Project Prospect.

In Rochester, community-led outreach efforts—using multilingual campaigns, trusted messengers, and parent leadership—filled more than 2,000 previously vacant high-quality Pre-K seats, reaching 98% enrollment.

Broome County has focused on expanding supply, including the opening of the largest child care center in the county this fall, increasing access for hundreds of local families.

Even with these advances, challenges remain. Universal child care in New York is estimated to cost approximately $15 billion, with ongoing gaps related to local matching funds, braiding public and private dollars for sustainability, and expanding and stabilizing the early childhood workforce. Addressing these challenges will require continued advocacy across levels of government and sustained investment in local infrastructure.

New York’s approach reflects a layered, place-based strategy that connects neighborhood leadership, municipal alignment, county systems integration, and state and federal resources. This slow, often invisible work is what makes bold policy moments possible.

As more counties across the country begin to pursue long-term, locally driven early learning strategies, New York offers a powerful example of what’s possible. We’ll continue to monitor New York’s progress and the growing momentum at the county level nationwide as communities work to turn bold vision into lasting systems change.