MAMDANI’S FIRST 100 DAYS: ‘2-Care’ program agreement with mayor and governor to provide universal childcare for NYC tots

Thursday, Jan. 8, marks the eighth day of Zohran Mamdani’s term as mayor. amNewYork is following Mamdani around his first 100 days in office as we closely track his progress on fulfilling campaign promises, appointing key leaders to government posts, and managing the city’s finances. Here’s a summary of what the mayor did today.

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday threw the weight of the state behind Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s signature campaign promise, announcing a partnership that will launch free child care for two-year-olds in New York City this fall and accelerate his broader push toward universal child care.

Under the plan, the state will fully fund the first two years of the new “2-Care” program, which is expected to serve about 2,000 children in its first year and expand annually, Hochul and Mamdani said at a press briefing at a YMCA in Flatbush, Brooklyn.

Affordability: Universal childcare

The initiative builds on New York City’s existing universal prekindergarten and 3K programs and marks the first time the city has committed to free child care for children younger than three. City officials said the initial rollout would prioritize high-need neighborhoods, with details to be finalized in consultation with families and child care providers.

“This is going to be the difference for so many families in whether or not they can stay in the city or are forced to leave,” Mamdani said, calling the announcement a turning point for working parents.

The city-state agreement is part of a broader child care agenda Hochul outlined Thursday, which includes expanding child care subsidies, strengthening the city’s 3K program with a $100 million investment, and committing to universal pre-K access for all four-year-olds statewide by the 2028–29 school year.

Photo by Lloyd Mitchell

A child leaps off the stage during Governor Hochul and Mayor Mamdani’s press conference on child care in BrooklynPhoto by Lloyd Mitchell

The first year of the 2-Care program is expected to cost about $75 million to serve roughly 2,000 two-year-olds, with the second year projected at $425 million, officials said. In addition, the city will invest $100 million to strengthen and expand the existing 3K program. Hochul described the combined new investment as roughly $1.7 billion for the first two years, part of a broader $4.5 billion commitment that includes previously allocated funds. She said the state could cover these costs without raising taxes and will outline detailed funding sources in her upcoming budget proposal.

Hochul added the state’s commitments would move forward despite uncertainty caused by recent federal actions affecting child care funding. Earlier this week, the Trump administration notified New York that billions of dollars in federal child care and social services funding could be at risk, prompting the state to prepare legal challenges.

“This will not affect these commitments,” Hochul said on Thursday. “We are looking at our litigation strategies… We’ve been successful in court before. The shame that everything we do has to start with a call to my lawyer and say one more lawsuit that we have to file, but that’s the world under Donald Trump, so we’re going to fight back.”

New York City’s child care system has faced mounting pressure from staff shortages, rising costs, and limited availability. While the city offers child care vouchers to eligible families through the Administration for Children’s Services, many families struggle to secure placements, and voucher waitlists have periodically closed.

New York State has the second-highest average child care costs in the nation, with families paying an average of $14,621 per child annually. In New York City, the average annual cost rose to $18,200 per child in 2024, a 79 percent increase since 2019.

During his mayoral campaign, Mamdani pledged to make child care free for all city children from six weeks to five years old and to raise wages for child care workers. State officials framed Thursday’s announcement as an early but significant step toward that goal, as part of a longer-term plan to build a universal child care system statewide.

Hochul said details on funding sources would be included in her upcoming budget proposal and said the state could absorb the costs without raising taxes.

Thursday’s announcement quickly drew praise from education and social service leaders, who lauded the announcement for prioritizing families and children.

Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers, said the plan “puts children and families first” and provides long-overdue support for home-based child care providers. “We are ready to help turn this plan into reality,” he added.

Christine C. Quinn, president and CEO of Win, a major provider of housing and services for homeless families, said affordable child care is essential to addressing broader social challenges. “The high cost of childcare is a driving force in the family homelessness crisis,” Quinn said. “Governor Hochul’s leadership… puts hardworking families first and builds a solid foundation for statewide universal childcare. Aided by the extraordinary vision of Mayor Mamdani, New York is one step closer to ending the family homelessness crisis.”

Public safety: ICE and policing reforms

Public safety tensions flared Thursday alongside the childcare rollout as Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited New York City and sharply criticized its sanctuary city policies in the aftermath of a fatal shooting involving an ICE agent in Minneapolis that has resulted in protests.

Noem said federal immigration agents would continue operating in New York despite opposition from city and state leaders, arguing that sanctuary policies undermine public safety. She singled out Mayor Mamdani by name, accusing him of siding with undocumented immigrants over law enforcement and encouraging local officials to cooperate more closely with federal authorities.

Noem claimed that the DHS’ conversations with the Mamdani administration have not “been productive.”

“We’re hoping the mayor will work with us to get these criminal elements, and especially gang members and terrorist organizations, out of New York City,” Noem said.

In response to the accusation on PIX11, Mamdani rejected Noem’s claims and defended the city’s sanctuary policies, saying his administration would not differentiate residents based on immigration status.

“I’m not sure what she’s actually referring to in that statement,” Mamdani said. “If you live here, I am your mayor.”

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, flanked by Director of Field Operations (DFO) for Customs and Border Protection’s CBP’s New York Field Office (NYFO), Frank Russo, and Special Agent in Charge at Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Ricky Patel, attends a press conference to discuss ongoing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, as part of U.S. President Donald’s Trump’s immigration policy, at One World Trade Center in New York City, January 8, 2026.REUTERS/David ‘Dee’ Delgado

Mamdani stated that New York City law permits cooperation with federal authorities in cases involving serious crimes, but does not authorize city agencies to assist with civil immigration enforcement or mass deportation efforts. He described recent ICE raids as “cruel and inhumane,” arguing they do not advance public safety and instead create fear in immigrant communities.

“My NYPD will follow the law here in New York City,” he said, adding that the city would work with federal authorities only in cases involving roughly 170 serious crimes outlined under existing sanctuary policies.

Mamdani also addressed anticipated protests over federal immigration actions, saying the NYPD’s initial response would rely on community affairs officers rather than its Strategic Response Group, a unit he has criticized for its use at demonstrations.

Gov. Kathy Hochul, in her own appearance on PIX11, said her administration is exploring legislation to create a private right of action for New Yorkers harmed by federal immigration enforcement, providing individuals with a means to seek recourse in court if their constitutional rights are violated.

At the same time, city lawmakers are moving forward on one of Mamdani’s signature public safety proposals, a plan to revamp mental health emergency response by creating a Department of Community Safety that would take on many crisis calls now handled by police, according to Gothamist.

The City Council is expected to consider legislation this month to establish the department, which the mayor has said would position trained clinicians to address mental health emergencies while freeing officers to focus on serious crimes.

Brooklyn Council Member Lincoln Restler is the prime sponsor of the bill, which was introduced on Dec. 18 and includes more than a dozen co-sponsors, including Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and Council Members Stevens, Cabán, Gutiérrez, Marte, and others.

According to the legislation, if passed, it would add a new chapter to the city charter, allowing the mayor to appoint a commissioner to lead the department. Each borough would have a 24/7 office staffed with trained personnel to respond to emergencies and support community safety.

The new department would coordinate with city agencies involved in law enforcement, social services, mental health, homelessness, and violence prevention, and manage contracts for programs offering alternatives to incarceration, pretrial services, and re-entry support.

It also outlines that field staff would conduct outreach to vulnerable populations, provide referrals for social and medical services, maintain a visible presence in neighborhoods, offer safe passage routes, respond to emergencies alongside police and EMS, and mediate conflicts in low-risk situations. The mayor could assign additional duties with notice to the council. The bill would take effect 180 days after becoming law.

When asked about the proposed Department of Community Safety, Mamdani acknowledged that legislation to formally establish the department is ongoing and currently under discussion with the City Council. “What I can tell you is, you’ve already begun interviews for positions within the Department of Community Safety, and this continues to be a focus for us,” he told Pix11.

“While we celebrate the record drops in a number of serious crime categories here in New York City, we also know that we need to make it such that police officers can focus on policing and not have to respond to 200,000 mental health calls on an annual basis. That’s at the heart of the Department of Community Safety. It’s a commitment to addressing the mental health crisis as well as the homelessness crisis.”

Personnel changes: Adams-era holdovers resign as Mamdani names senior communications team

Two holdovers from the Eric Adams administration submitted their resignations as Mayor Mamdani moved to reshape his new senior communications team on Thursday.

Department of City Planning Chair Dan Garodnick announced in a video posted Thursday that he would step down and exit city government.

Garodnick, a former City Council member who represented Manhattan’s East Side District 4 for 12 years, was involved in major initiatives under Adams, including zoning changes tied to the “City of Yes” effort to accelerate housing construction, and most recently, the approval of 14,700 new housing units in Long Island City as part of the ONELIC plan.

Oct. 21, 2024 – Dan Garodnick testifies before the City Council about the ‘City of Yes: Zoning for Housing Opportunity.’Photo Credit: Gerardo Romo / NYC Council Media Unit.

In the video, Garodnick stated that he was proud of his accomplishments, including zoning reforms, neighborhood plans, and expanding housing opportunities, and informed staff that he would remain in his post until a replacement is found. His resignation followed speculation after Mamdani’s election victory that he could be appointed deputy mayor for housing and economic development.

Also departing is Department of Investigation Commissioner Jocelyn Strauber, according to THE CITY, which first reported her departure, scheduled for Jan. 16.

Strauber was appointed by Adams in early 2022 to lead the Department of Investigation, the city’s independent watchdog agency with broad authority to probe corruption, fraud, waste, and abuse in city government. She oversaw the DOI inquiry that ultimately led to the mayor’s 2024 federal indictment; the charges were later permanently dismissed after President Donald Trump’s Justice Department moved to drop the case.

Mamdani administration spokesperson Dora Pekec confirmed to amNY that the mayor had accepted both resignations.

The departures come as Mamdani announced senior communications hires for City Hall. The New York Times first reported earlier this week that Anna Bahr, a top aide to U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, was named communications director and will oversee the administration’s communications strategy, including the press office, digital and new media operations, and agency communications.

“Mayor Mamdani is modeling a different kind of government — not a billionaire-funded, consultant-driven administration, but one that champions the needs of working people,” Bahr said in a statement. “It’s what New Yorkers deserve and I’m proud to be part of his team.”

Meanwhile, Joe Calvello will serve as press secretary, leading the press office and serving as the mayor’s chief spokesperson. Calvello has worked in communications for Sens. Bernie Sanders and John Fetterman, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, and multiple political campaigns.

Familiar faces from Mamdani’s campaign and transition team have joined the communications staff. Monica Klein will serve as senior adviser for communications, focusing on long-term planning, messaging, and earned media. Pekec will continue as senior spokesperson, leading rapid response and serving as principal spokesperson for Room 9, and Lekha Sunder will serve as deputy communications director, coordinating messaging across city government.

Mamdani, whose social media–driven campaign helped distinguish him in a crowded mayoral field, said communication “is more than a political tactic” and that with the new hires “we will deliver a new era of governance for New York City.”