Eight days into office, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is already doing what many candidates promise, but few deliver: turning campaign commitments into policy. Last week in Flatbush, Mamdani stood alongside New York Governor Kathy Hochul to announce a $1.2 billion state investment that formally launches the city’s path toward universal childcare.
The move marks one of the fastest policy rollouts by a new mayor in recent city history and a major win for working families across the five boroughs.
“When I launched my campaign for mayor over a year ago, I made three promises to New Yorkers,” Mamdani said. “Freeze the rent for rent-stabilized tenants. Make buses fast and free. And deliver universal childcare. Some said these goals were impossible.”
On day 8 of our Administration, @GovKathyHochul and I announced the beginning of universal childcare in NYC. No longer will New Yorkers be forced to choose between starting a family and continuing to live in the city they love. This only happened because of you. pic.twitter.com/UM31UGKTtK
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) January 10, 2026
Eight days in, one of those goals is now underway.
The $1.2 billion commitment will immediately expand access to childcare for three-year-olds across New York City, particularly in neighborhoods where families have historically been locked out due to limited seats and long waitlists. According to Mamdani, the funding will make childcare for three-year-olds truly universal citywide.
But the plan doesn’t stop there.
The investment also allows the city to begin offering universal childcare to two-year-olds, intending to reach full coverage by the end of Mamdani’s first term. For parents, the impact is tangible and immediate.
“By the end of the year,” Mamdani said, “thousands of parents will look at their bank accounts and see that they have now saved more than $20,000 per child. That is real relief. It is real change.”
For Mamdani, the announcement wasn’t just about funding; it was about redefining what government can do when it moves with urgency.
“As the governor said, ‘The days of empty promises are over,’” he noted. He also made clear that the victory belongs to the people who powered his campaign.
“We are here today because of the millions of doors that you knocked,” Mamdani said, crediting volunteers who canvassed through extreme weather, made phone calls, and persuaded neighbors that change was possible. “This is a movement that was brave enough to make a promise, and even braver to know it could fulfill it.”
Universal childcare has long been a pressure point for New York families, many of whom have been forced to choose between staggering childcare costs and staying in the city they love. Mamdani framed the policy as both economic relief and a retention strategy.
“No longer will New Yorkers be forced to accept that starting a family means leaving the city you love,” he said.
The mayor acknowledged that this is only the beginning. While the funding marks a historic step, he stressed that more work lies ahead to fully build out a system that serves every family and every child.
