Mamdani gives FREE infant child care ONLY to NYC government workers

One of Socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's core campaign promises was to provide free child care for those in the Big Apple. However, the move to expand those services on Monday was only for city employees. This comes as Mamdani has been pushing New York Governor Kathy Hochul to raise taxes on wealthy New Yorkers and businesses in order to increase tax revenue for the city to support Mamdani's vision for different benefit programs.

This program, however, is only available to public employees in New York's Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS). Mamdani announced the program on Monday. The mayor said that the David N. Dinkins Municipal Building at 1 Centre Street will be "transformed into New York City's first ever on-site child care program for municipal employees. This is a site that will be 100% free with the child care that it provides. It will provide full-day care from children as young as six weeks to as old as three years old."

There is currently universal child care for those who are three years old in the Big Apple, known as 3K. Mamdani and Hochul have also been working to implement universal child care for children who are two years old, known as 2K. However, there is yet to be a universal program for children from six weeks old to the age of three.

The applications for the program will go to "every single worker in the David Dinkins building, as well as every single DCAS employee, regardless of their location across the city," Mamdani added as he appeared alongside DCAS Commissioner Yume Kitasei.

The new program will serve around 40 children who are between 6 weeks old and 3 years old. The Mamdani administration claims that the program will be "putting upwards of $20,000 a year back in the pockets of working families," but did not say how much the program will cost the city of New York in a press release on the topic.

"Change begins at home. As we deliver universal child care to New Yorkers, that work must include the public servants who keep this city running," said Mayor Mamdani. "We are bringing year-round, no-cost child care 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."

Applications for the program open on April 30 this year. Currently, the Big Apple is facing a funding gap of $5.4 billion. Mamdani has been demanding that Hochul raise taxes on the wealthy to help NYC pay off the budget gap, and said that if Hochul does not, he will be forced to raise NYC property taxes on everyone.