Governor Kathy Hochul / February 14, 2026
Everywhere I go in New York, I hear the same thing from working parents: Life is too expensive.
High costs have stretched household budgets thin. Tariffs and trade wars keep driving up prices. Families are making tough choices about everyday essentials. And for parents with young children, child care is one of the highest expenses they face every month.
I know firsthand what it’s like to work on a tight budget — to work hard, stretch every dollar, and still feel like you’re barely getting by. When my husband Bill and I were first starting out, I had to give up the job I loved because we simply could not find child care we could afford. It was an impossible decision then, and too many families are facing the same challenge today.
That’s why I’ve been focused on easing costs for New Yorkers, from putting up to $5,000 back in families’ pockets to taking historic action to address our housing crisis. And while Washington Republicans are making life more difficult and more expensive for hardworking families, I’m doubling down to lower costs and to give working parents a break.
Since taking office, I’ve invested more than $8 billion to strengthen our child care infrastructure and lay the groundwork for universal child care, because the cost of child care is too damn high. And in my State of the State address last month, I laid out a clear roadmap showing how we’re going to deliver on that promise for every single family in New York.
To make universal child care a reality, we’re going to:
- Make Pre-K truly universal statewide
- Partner with New York City to launch the 2-Care program and finally realize the promise of universal 3K access in New York City
- Pilot community-wide child care to provide year round, full-day, affordable care for newborns to three year olds
- Create the Office of Child Care and Early Education to implement universal child care
- Expand child care subsidies to tens of thousands of additional families
Altogether, these investments will help thousands of New York kids get a strong start in life — and save New York families billions of dollars every year.
Universal child care is about affordability and opportunity for working families across the state. When families have access to affordable, reliable care, parents can work, children can thrive, and communities grow stronger.
That’s the future we are building in New York: one where no family has to choose between a paycheck and their child’s well-being, and where affordability is not a privilege, but a promise we keep for every New Yorker.
Ever Upward,
Gov. Kathy Hochul
