Families are being priced out of New York City. As Council Members — and as parents who all welcomed children in December — we know how difficult it is to raise a family here. Working and middle class parents cannot afford the skyrocketing costs of child care.
As both New Yorkers and elected representatives, we have seen the immense benefits that universal Pre-K and 3-K have provided for families across our city. The system is far from perfect, and the fight to strengthen it continues. We’re pushing to make sure every family has access to free, full day 3-K in their neighborhood. And we are doing our best to support child care providers to make sure they have fair contracts and their staff are paid fair wages. But the reality is that many families cannot afford to wait until their child turns three. We need to start expanding 2-Care now.
2-Care is a campaign led by New Yorkers United for Child Care and United Neighborhood Houses to establish free, universal child care for 2-year-olds. Currently, our city’s Pre-K program offers free and universal care for 4-year-olds and we are pushing to expand the 3-K program to meet this same universal standard, but families with 2-year-olds face limited options outside of the prohibitively expensive private market.
2-Care would build on existing infrastructure, incorporating providers who already serve 2-year-olds, just as 3-K did when it launched. It is the next step towards realizing a full Universal Child Care program for all New Yorkers.
The financial burden and logistical challenges of child care don’t just impact individual families — they affect our entire economy. As the Fiscal Policy Institute found, parents with kids under 6 are two times more likely to leave New York City due to the costs and complications with child care. In 2022, New York City lost $23 billion as parents left the workforce due to the growing cost of child care. This is unsustainable. Without urgent investment, New York will continue to lose families and billions of dollars, weakening our economy and workforce.
In Quebec, where universal child care has been in place since 1996, the increased number of working parents generates enough income tax revenue to cover the full cost of the program. And here in New York City, free preschool has led to academic gains for children, increased workforce participation among parents — especially mothers — and money back into families’ pockets. In fact, a study by the Robin Hood Foundation found that mothers in districts with greater 3-K availability were more likely to be in the workforce.
Despite the clear benefits of universal child care — and the well-documented economic consequences of not providing it — New York has failed to properly invest in these programs. 3-K has been a lifeline for families, yet Mayor Adams has made annual cuts to the program, resulting in long waitlists, disbanded outreach teams and public awareness campaigns, day care closures, underpaid providers, and seats that are too far away to be practical.
Many families simply cannot afford to wait for the hope that 3-K will be fully funded. Parents of toddlers under three are feeling the squeeze. Caring for a 2-year-old in New York costs an average of $23,400 per year — far beyond the means of most working families. A parent earning $35,000 per year (minimum wage) cannot afford that, nor can a parent making $60,000.
To meet the recommended threshold of spending no more than 7% of income on child care, a family would need to earn a mindblowing $334,000 annually to afford care for just one child. This level of income is out of reach for most New Yorkers.
As born and bred New Yorkers, it breaks our hearts that many of our constituents may be unable to raise their families in their hometown. We are calling for action.
As a bare minimum we must stabilize 3-K by restoring the $112 million that the mayor has cut from the program again in the FY26 budget, reinstate outreach teams so every eligible family knows about free full day care and gets the assistance they need to enroll,, and ensure that child care providers are compensated fairly and on time. And to stop the hemorrhaging of working- and middle-class families from New York, we must begin expanding universal child care to younger children.
The time for child care expansion is now. New York City is at a breaking point. Parents deserve better. Our choice is clear: we must keep pushing toward the goal of universal child care. It’s time for 2-Care.
Restler (Brooklyn), Sanchez (Bronx), and Gutierrez (Brooklyn) are members of the City Council.
