GOVERNOR HOCHUL HIGHLIGHTS INVESTMENTS IN FY 2027 STATE BUDGET THAT PUT NEW YORK ON THE PATH TO DELIVERING UNIVERSAL CHILD CARE

Supports Delivering Statewide Universal Pre-K, Establishing 2-Care, Realizing Universal 3K Access in NYC, and Expanding Access to Child Care Subsidies

Building on the Governor’s Agenda to Make New York More Affordable for Families

Governor Kathy Hochul joined elected leaders, parents, and advocates at the Vanderbilt YMCA to highlight childcare investments in the Fiscal Year 2027 New York State Budget. Governor Hochul is putting New York State on a concrete path to universal child care, beginning with investments that will support the delivery of affordable child care to up to 100,000 additional children.

“As New York’s first mom Governor, I’ve consistently delivered one clear message to New Yorkers: your family is my fight,” Governor Hochul said. “Too many families across this state are struggling with the exorbitant cost of childcare. This year, I’m proud that we’re making childcare more affordable and accessible across our state, delivering relief for working parents and making New York the best state in the country to raise healthy kids and families.”

United Neighborhood Houses Executive Director Susan Stamler said, “From starting the nation’s first kindergartens in the early 1900s to leading on the rollout of Universal Pre-K just over a decade ago, United Neighborhood Houses and our settlement house members have fought for decades to raise the profile on early childhood education as a public good to which every New York family deserves access. We applaud Governor Kathy Hochul for having the courage and vision to put New York on a path to universal child care, and for embracing our campaign to fund 2-Care for two-year-olds in New York City. We look forward to working with New York State to bring our shared vision to life.”

New Yorkers United for Child Care Executive Director Rebecca Ballin said, “Parents have been organizing for years to make universal child care a reality in New York, and today we’re closer than we’ve ever been. These investments will help parents stay in the workforce, help families stay in New York, and make raising a child here something more families can actually afford. We’re grateful to the Governor for hearing parents and delivering for them.”

Grand Street Settlement Chief Executive Officer Robert Cordero said, “We’re grateful to Governor Kathy Hochul and the State for the deep commitment to make universal child care a reality for New Yorkers. Grand Street Settlement is excited to work alongside the State to ensure this system provides living wages for early childhood educators, strengthens the workforce pipeline, and creates smart partnerships that make child care part of every community.”

In this State Budget, Governor Hochul is putting New York State on a concrete path to universal, affordable child care, beginning with committing to investments that will support the delivery of affordable child care to up to 100,000 additional children.

The Governor’s landmark investment will increase funding by $1.7 billion bringing the total FY27 investment to $4.5 billion for child care and pre-kindergarten services statewide.

These investments 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 and increasing State grants to existing programs to ensure high-quality care.
• Partner with New York City to launch the new 2-Care program and finally realize the promise of universal 3K access in New York City.

• Enhance the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit to help defray childcare expenses for 230,000 New York families by increasing the benefit by an average of $576.
• Support the development of New York’s ‘First 3’ program, which will partner with counties to offer high-quality, affordable child care to children 0-3 regardless of income.
• Make historic investments in the Child Care Assistance Program, delivering high-quality, affordable child care to tens of thousands of additional young New Yorkers that is capped at $15 a week for most families.
• Support the child care workforce through early childhood educator preparation.

Alongside these commitments, the Governor will launch an Office of Child Care and Early Education to steer the implementation of high-quality, universal child care for New York families, and will work to enhance awareness of the Empire State Child Credit to ensure as many families as possible benefit from the Governor’s historic expansion of New York’s child tax credit, which increased the credit from $330 per child to $1,000 per child for children under four and $500 per child for children ages four through 16.