Thursday, Feb. 5, marked the 36th 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.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced on Thursday the first step toward a new citywide child care program for two-year-olds — opening a request for information to recruit providers for both the existing 3K system and a new “2K” program.
The announcement took place at City Hall’s Blue Room, where the mayor and Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels were flanked by a group of District 2 pre-K students who had been invited to participate. The event was framed as another step toward the mayor’s goal of implementing universal child care.
“We speak often about New York’s greatest or New York’s strongest or New York’s finest. Today, however, I’m thrilled to welcome what are surely New York’s cutest,” the mayor said.
The children crawled around the room, chatted among themselves, and occasionally drifted toward a miniature podium and its microphones as officials laid out the plan. At several points, the briefing veered into preschool territory as the mayor called on the children to answer pressing questions, including what their favorite animals were, before returning to the policy rollout.
The administration said it is launching a request for information (RFI) inviting new providers to apply to offer 3K services for the first time in five years, while also opening the door for centers to participate in the city’s new 2K program.
The mayor said existing providers are being surveyed about whether they want to expand their capacity or add 2K seats. Responses to the RFI and surveys of providers and families will help determine where those seats are located.
“For five years, new providers have been cut off from contributing to our programs,” Mamdani said. “Today, we say no more.”
Mamdani said the city plans to deliver 2,000 seats for two-year-olds by the end of this year and expand to roughly 12,000 seats next year.
The provider application window is open now and runs through Feb. 19. Families with children turning three or four this year can apply for 3K and pre-K through Feb. 27, and the mayor emphasized the process is not first-come, first-served.
Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels said the RFI marks the first step toward implementing 2K while expanding 3K, and stressed that the system depends on community-based providers. She urged centers to apply, saying they are essential to delivering high-quality early childhood education across the city.
Mamdani said the expansion is tied to a partnership with Gov. Kathy Hochul that will provide more than $1 billion toward universal child care. He pointed to that collaboration when asked earlier in the day about his endorsement of the governor’s reelection campaign, saying the funding commitment made the expansion possible, even as they continue to disagree on tax policies for the city’s millionaires and corporations.
Childcare: Mamdani vows to root out bad actors
The mayor was also asked about allegations at a Bright Horizons child care site near Columbus Circle, where former employees have been charged with child endangerment and other offenses tied to abuse allegations.
The mayor said the city terminated that center’s pre-K and 3K contract and that the Health Department is seeking to revoke its permits to operate following earlier reporting from CBS that an employee allegedly put a cleaning solution containing bleach in a classroom water pitcher.
“After careful review of them, New York City Public Schools terminated its pre-K and 3K contract with the center and has taken immediate steps to remove the program from our system,” he said.
“We take a stand against any provider who is not following the city’s high standards for health and safety,” he said, noting temporary closures at several Bright Horizons sites and promising continued inspections and responses to complaints.
He added that all new providers signing up for the new scheme will undergo background checks, inspections and unannounced follow-ups in response to complaints.
Advocates for expanded early childhood programs praised the announcement later on Thursday.
New Yorkers United for Child Care said the move marked a sharp shift from the previous year’s fights over 3K and pre-K funding, calling it a sign of a renewed commitment to universal child care. The group’s executive director, Rebecca Bailin, said the administration has focused on outreach to families and is now taking concrete steps to grow the system, adding that many parents still cannot afford child care and that the city needs to move quickly to expand access.
Despite the occasional interruptions from the children, officials described the RFI as a concrete first step toward a new, publicly supported child care system that would eventually start at age two. More details about seat locations and the 2K application process are expected later this year.
