New York City's free childcare program for two-year-olds is about to get much bigger. Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Governor Kathy Hochul announced Monday that 2-K will expand from 2,000 seats this year to 12,000 seats in fall 2027, reaching 22 of the city's 32 school districts.
The expansion corrects the most visible gap in the program's first year: Staten Island, which was left out of the inaugural five districts, will be fully included, as will every district in the Bronx. This year's 2,000 seats drew applications from more than 5,700 families, a sign of how far demand outruns supply for care that can cost families tens of thousands of dollars a year.
Albany is paying for the growth. Hochul has committed $73 million this year and plans $425 million next year, funding the first two years of the program, with most seats funded from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. year-round. Officials estimate the free seats save each participating family more than $20,000 a year.
Mamdani, who campaigned on universal childcare, pledged that 2-K will reach every two-year-old in the city who needs it by the end of his first term. 'From Co-op City in the Bronx to Staten Island's South Shore, we're bringing 2-K to every borough,' he said at the announcement.
