It's the Brian Lairn Show on WNYC. I'm Tiffany Hanson. In for Brian today. We're turning now to an announcement from Governor Kathy Hokel and Mayor Zoran Mamdani yesterday about the future of child care in New York.

They stood side by side at the YMCA in Flatbush to unveil a proposal to roll out free child care for kids as young as two in New York City.

Here's Governor Hokel speaking in front of elected officials, advocates, and the press yesterday.

And today I'm proud to announce that New York State is paying the full cost to launch two

care for the first time. Universal daycare for two-year-olds as proposed by Mayor Mamdani.

And we're not just paying for one year of the program. We don't usually go one year out in our budget, but just to let you know how serious we are,

we're taking the unprecedented step to not just commit for the 2027 budget, which I'm working

on right now, but also the following year as well to show you we're in this for the long

haul.

So in addition to the

rollout of two care, which is that official name that Governor Hockel mentioned there of the program,

the governor also shared that her upcoming state budget proposals includes funding to extend

pre-K access throughout the state, expand pre-K and 3K in the city, and increase funding for the state's child care subsidy program.

Here's Mayor Mamdani talking about the additional funding for those programs at yesterday's press conference.

We will build on the city's existing 3K program and say no longer will a family in Flatbush be offered a seat but have to

find out that that seat is in Astoria we will add seats in the neighborhoods

where demand has not been met this will be felt by expanded subsidies for tens

of thousands of additional families it will be felt when parents look at their bank accounts at the end of the year

and see that they have saved more than $20,000 per child.

And it will be felt when neighborhoods no longer feel hollow and empty

because those we love haven't been forced to move away to raise their children

elsewhere. It will be felt when our children receive high quality care and enjoy better outcomes

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