B-Roll, Video, Audio, Photos & Rush Transcript: Governor Hochul Highlights Investments in FY 2027 State Budget That Put New York on the Path to Delivering Universal Child Care

Governor Kathy Hochul today joined elected leaders, parents and advocates at the Vanderbilt YMCA to highlight childcare investments in the Fiscal Year 2027 New York State Budget. Governor Hochul is putting New York State on a concrete path to universal childcare, beginning with investments that will support the delivery of affordable childcare to up to 100,000 additional children.

B-ROLL of the Governor interacting with children at the Vanderbilt YMCA is available to stream on YouTube here and TV quality video is available here (h.264, mp4).

VIDEO: The event is available to stream on YouTube here and TV quality video is available here (h.264, mp4).

AUDIO: The Governor's remarks are available in audio form here.

PHOTOS: The Governor's Flickr page will post photos of the event here.

A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:

I cannot think of a better way to spend the day after Mother's Day than in a room full of children. As a grandmother of a just turned four-year-old and a nine-month-old, I saw the nine-month-old for a day over the weekend. I'm rather experienced at how to play with children - don't read into that at all. I'm referring to these children here. Don't laugh. Geez.

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No. These children are the only children I'm referring to when I'm saying used to - nope, not going there. But it is such a joy to see their young, innocent faces as they look to us as the adults who are there to take care of them, and that's a beautiful part of the lives of parents and also one of their stressors. So I'm really proud to be here at the Vanderbilt YMCA. It's been here many times before. It's an extraordinary place. I want to thank Jamel Davis, the Executive Director, thank him - let's give him a round of applause.

You'll be hearing from a mother and program director here, and also the mother of, I believe, a three-year-old here, Tasia Brown. She'll be speaking after I am - Tasia. And also Susan Stamler, Executive Director of the United Neighborhood Houses; and Rebecca Bailin, the Executive Director of New York United for ChildCare; and Robert Cordero, Executive Director of the Grand Street Settlement, and all the parents and advocates who are here today.

I've said before, I'll say it again: Your family and your future are my fight, and that is why I'm here talking about the agreement we came forth with respect to many elements of the budget, including childcare, something that has been our marquee issue. It's all about making childcare accessible and affordable. And this is not a new issue for me; it's one I've championed since I first became - actually I was Lieutenant Governor, Chair of the Statewide ChildCare Task Force, which was envisioning a future where there would be universal childcare. I carried on that work to my work as Governor, making historic investments to put us on a path for universal childcare, for statewide pre-K, expansion of our childcare vouchers, and with the Mayor to launch New York City's first 2-K program, as well as three pilots around the state that will have high quality, affordable childcare outside the state.

I am really proud. We've not talked about this lately because there's been a lot of other issues, but this is a signature issue that I could not be more proud to be able to announce to New Yorkers that we got it done. We will give you more details, but I told you many times that this is personal to me. It's something that affected my own young life, when I was a new mom and had to leave a job that I loved, and it set us back financially, rather significantly, but I could not find childcare for my son, and then a year later, a daughter. So I know that all these years later, a generation later, it has not gotten any easier for New York families or families across this country. And sometimes it just takes leadership to say, "It's not okay," and how we're going to solve this and just make life a little bit easier and more affordable for New York families. There is no better place to celebrate this than at the historic Vanderbilt YMCA.

I just visited the childcare center, reminding me that gluing feathers and little balls on a piece of paper is a source of great joy and fun. I am going to hang my own picture up in my office. I think I did a pretty good job - and don't laugh, it looks good. And also just to see their innocence and you know, it really made me proud that we're doing something for these children and their siblings and children to come. But this has been a haven for working families for 150 years, and starting in the 1990s, starting to provide a fully equipped childcare center, really ahead of its time here at the Y. I want to thank all the people here who have made this their life's calling. Beyond just the impact on a family and their stress about whether or not they're going to have a place to take their child safely when they go to work, but also we have to look at the economic impact. We saw this firsthand during the pandemic when literally our economy was collapsing because more than half the workforce, the working parents, mostly working moms, could not go to work. They had to stay home because the schools were closed. And this whole idea that they're going to learn remotely at their kitchen table while their parent's trying to work remotely at their jobs, we learned very quickly that this experiment just did not work. It is important to have high quality, affordable childcare so businesses can have a reliable workforce as well. So I'm working hard to broaden the perspective that this is not just a family's problem or a challenge that they have to solve on their own. It is also having an impact on our overall competitiveness as a nation. And I believe to my core that when we solve this and have fully universal, where no one ever has to worry about the childcare years from birth to kindergarten, that we will be more competitive than other places. We'll become a magnet for businesses who want to attract the best and the brightest young people who will come here and say, "Wow, if I don't have to pay for childcare, I can get a major subsidy, or I have a place to go, I'm going to come to New York." Or someone who's born and raised here says, "I can stay in New York." And that is what my focus has been. Laser focused on that.

I want to talk about specifically what we've done and the fact that we've put over $8 billion into childcare. That is not a small amount of money and over $100 million to expand the number of seats statewide. $6.5 billion in childcare subsidies to go out to families and increasing. I think when I first became Governor, you had to earn about $57,000 a year to earn a subsidy, and we raised it up to $108,000 - a more realistic look at, you know, what families are dealing with these days. So this year's budget, $4.5 billion in childcare alone. Within the next two years, I've made a commitment that every single four-year-old in the state will have a seat in their district, and we're also bringing our infants and toddlers into our pilot programs, and supporting facilities all across the state with an additional $1.2 billion. So this is something I hope you brag about. It sets us apart. It's something that acknowledges the struggles of working families, but also there's other ways we've been helpful. This is only one piece of the affordability puzzle.

We're also giving relief to low-income parents for day-to-day expenses with a substantial historic expansion of the tax credit that went into effect this year with people's taxes. For the first time ever, parents with a child under the age of four would receive a $1,000 tax credit. We also created the New York State Baby Benefit, providing $1,800 to new parents receiving public assistance. That goes toward the formula and the diapers and all the little clothes that they keep outgrowing every couple of months. Plus a $9 million investment to supply diapers and other supplies that new mothers may need. So this is how we focus on families at a very granular way. I know exactly what they need. I've been there. My kids now know what babies need because they're there now. And all the families that have always been wondering, "Is there anybody who hears me and understands me?" I am that person because I know how important it is to help families during these critical years until the kids are off to full-time school. And for the parents with young kids, it seems like it's a long way off. Don't rush it because it does come. But enjoy the baby, the infants, the toddler age because it's the most precious time in their life. So to everyone who is part of this, I want to thank our leaders in Albany as well for standing with me on this initiative when we brought it to them. I've been talking about this for years now, but this is a very significant investment in the dream and the realization of universal childcare. We got it done, my friends. Let's give that a round of applause. And to hear how that affects one family, let's hear from Tasia Brown, the mother and program director here at the Y. Tasia.