March 31, 2026
Zohran Mamdani Makes Good On His Promise By Revealing Free Childcare Program For City Workers
The program expansion for free on-site childcare puts close to $20,000 a year back in the pockets of working families in an effort to keep top talent and boost productivity.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is making good on one of his campaign promises by announcing a free childcare program for all city workers, which he calls one step closer to his plan to provide universal childcare, NBC 4 reports.
Mamdani announced the construction site being transformed to cater to “the few New Yorkers that can be louder than an active site,” labeled as “New York’s cutest,” into the city’s first-ever on-site childcare program for municipal employees — a 100% free, full-daycare for children starting as young as six weeks to 3 years old. “On April 30, these applications will open for every single worker in the David Dinkins building as well as every single Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS), regardless of their location across the city,” he said while wearing a hard hat.
The program expansion of free on-site childcare puts close to $20,000 a year back in the pockets of working families, helping keep top talent and boost productivity.
“Change begins at home. As we deliver universal childcare to New Yorkers, that work must include the public servants who keep this city running,” the young mayor said.
“We are bringing year-round, no-cost childcare right here to Lower Manhattan — not just saving families money, but giving them back hours of their time. No parent should have to spend hours commuting just to ensure their child is safe and cared for.”
Within a little over six months in office, Mamdani has made free childcare a priority, even partnering with every baby’s favorite teacher, Ms. Rachel, whose real name is Rachel Griffin Accurso, on a campaign to highlight its importance.
Free childcare would lift a burden off many struggling New Yorkers and people across the country.
According to The American Prospect, the average cost of childcare in the U.S. is close to $14,760 per year, and in The Big Apple, it could double. The program expansion is in good hands, as Emily Liss oversees the Mamdani’s Office of Child Care and Early Education.
The city is already a national leader in early childhood services through former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s groundbreaking pre-K and 3-K programs, which Liss helped architect.
While on social media, users are seemingly badgering the mayor with claims like the “government has no business entering the childcare business and this kind of reckless spending with tax dollars will only drive up private sector costs,” childcare has become a hot-topic political issue.
In November 2025, New Mexico became the first state to host a no-cost, universal childcare program.
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