As part of her $4.5 billion investment to deliver statewide universal child care, Governor Hochul today announced the State will partner with Dutchess County, Monroe County and Broome County in a new State pilot program to help counties offer additional child care options in their communities. This pilot program will include a total of $60 million in State funding, along with new investments from each of the three counties, as they expand child care access with a particular focus on serving children 0-3.

This pilot program is one of many investments that Governor Hochul is making to help deliver universal child care for all under the age of five across New York State, saving New York families billions of dollars each year.

"I'll never stop working to make life more affordable for New Yorkers - and that's why my plan will deliver universal child care for families all across New York," said Governor Hochul. "As part of my plan to support every county statewide, this new pilot program will help counties develop and expand new models for providing child care for families, regardless of their income status."

Monroe County Executive Adam Bello said, "I'm grateful to Governor Hochul for her leadership and for including Monroe County and our child care community in this innovative pilot program that will strengthen families, support providers, and help our local economy flourish. Access to affordable, high-quality child care is one of the biggest challenges facing working families in Monroe County and across New York State. It is essential infrastructure that allows parents to work, children to learn, and local economies to function, and demand has never been greater. Thanks to this innovative pilot program launched by Governor Hochul, Monroe County will be able to partner with New York State and local child care providers to expand capacity and offer access to reliable, quality care without income barriers or unnecessary red tape. This initiative gives communities the tools they need to meet families where they are to help them overcome child care barriers."

Broome County Executive Jason Garnar said, "Governor Hochul's commitment to expanding universal childcare is exactly the kind of leadership working families need right now. By including Broome County in this new upstate pilot, the Governor is helping make life more affordable for parents who just want to go to work, provide for their families, and know their kids are safe and cared for. Thanks to Governor Hochul's leadership, Broome County will also be opening the largest childcare center in our county this fall, expanding access for hundreds of local families. This investment will help even more working families across Broome County get the affordable, high-quality childcare they need to thrive."

City of Poughkeepsie Mayor Yvonne Flowers said, "This investment will make a meaningful difference for families in Poughkeepsie by expanding access to affordable, high-quality child care. Governor Hochul's partnership with Dutchess County will help parents participate in the workforce, support local child care providers, and ensure our youngest residents get a strong start in life. I'm grateful for the Governor's continued commitment to strengthening our community and supporting working families."

Under the plan, the state will provide each of these counties with $20 million for their pilot, with the counties contributing an additional 10% in funding. The programs will support up to 1,000 seats for 0-3s in each county, with the first tranche coming online in 2027. These efforts build on existing, county-led efforts to support child care and the welfare of families in each respective community, including Dutchess's DAY ONE Teacher Apprenticeship program, Early Learning coalition, and childcare professional development program and Monroe's recent increased child care investments and eligibility awareness campaign and their ongoing Project Prospect anti-poverty program. Broome County will also be opening the largest childcare center in their county this fall, expanding access for hundreds of local families.

Governor Hochul's statewide plan to deliver universal child care for all New York children under the age of five also includes:

Achieving Truly Universal Pre-K

While four-year-olds in some parts of New York have long had access to Pre-K, there are dozens of school districts that have not yet been able to make it available. Governor Hochul is providing additional support to ensure truly universal Pre-K for all four-year-olds in the State by the start of the 2028-2029 school year.

The State will not only fund additional seats to achieve universality but will also increase funding for existing seats, bringing them up to the greater of $10,000 or the applicable school district's current selected foundation aid per pupil, so that districts have what they need to provide high-quality Pre-K. This combination reflects a commitment of roughly a half-billion dollars and will ensure that every child in New York State enters kindergarten ready to learn.

Continuing Access to Low-Cost, Affordable Child Care Assistance Programs

Under Governor Hochul's leadership, New York has more than doubled investment in the state's Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), which provides subsidies to help low-income families access child care. By dramatically increasing the State's investments in the program while expanding eligibility, the program now supports 2.5 times more children - an additional 100,000 - than when Governor Hochul took office; the number of children served has increased by almost 25 percent in the past year alone. Most of the families of the 170,000 children served by the program pay no more than $15 per week for child care.

This year, Governor Hochul will continue to grow the State's investment in child care subsidies for those that need it most with a $1.2 billion increased investment, bringing the total available for subsidies to over $3 billion. This is more than 3.5 times more than the $832 million provided prior to the Governor taking office, and a nearly 40 percent increase from what was made available in the FY 2026 Enacted Budget.

"I'll never stop working to make life more affordable for New Yorkers - and that's why my plan will deliver universal child care for families all across New York."

Launching 2-Care and Reaching Universal 3K Access in NYC

New York City has already launched universal Pre-K and 3K, and Governor Hochul will partner with New York City to age this program down and launch an unprecedented initiative to offer entirely free child care for two-year-olds within New York City.

The Governor is committing to fully fund the first two years of the city's implementation. As envisioned by the new mayoral administration, the first year of the program will focus on high-need areas selected by New York City and expand to serve all interested families across the city by year 4. In addition, the Governor will partner with New York City to strengthen and fix the city's 3K program and ensure it achieves its promise of universal access.

Office of Child Care and Early Education

A new Office of Child Care and Early Education will drive the implementation of high-quality, universal child care in New York State. The Office will oversee and support roll out of universal Pre-K, continued investment in 3K, launch of 2-Care and other innovative care options, expansion and improvement of vouchers, and ongoing support for the workforce.

Supporting the Workforce Through Early Childhood Educator Preparation

Governor Hochul's plan to strengthen New York's early childhood education workforce includes expanding existing workforce scholarships, seeking opportunities for new Workforce Pell grants, and directing SUNY and CUNY to take a number of steps to expand and streamline early childhood education programs.

Expanding the Child and Dependent Care Credit to Better Support Families

Governor Hochul will expand and simplify the child and dependent care tax credit to provide an additional average benefit of $575 for 230,000 tax filers. She will also undertake a thorough review of existing tax incentives for employers with the goal of helping them better serve the child care needs of their employees.

Senator Michelle Hinchey said, "Getting to Universal Child Care across New York will be incredibly important, and the Dutchess County Early Learning Coalition and the DAY ONE Program have been leading the way to find innovative models to get there. Today's announcement selecting Dutchess County as one of the State's first pilots is incredibly exciting, and I'm thrilled to see both the Coalition and DAY ONE recognized for their work. I thank Governor Hochul for elevating the expertise, creativity, and leadership here in Dutchess as a model, and for her commitment to achieving Universal Child Care across the state."

State Senator Rob Rolison said, "Affordable, high-quality child care is critical for working families and the future of Dutchess County. Governor Hochul's partnership with the county through this new pilot program will expand access for families with young children, strengthen the early childhood workforce, and build on proven local efforts like DAY ONE. This is a smart investment that helps parents work and ensures children get the strong start they deserve."

Assemblymember Harry B. Bronson said, "Governor Hochul's universal childcare strategy is the kind of bold action we need to lower costs for working families. By investing $1.7 billion to expand affordable, high-quality are to nearly 100,000 additional children, we're putting money back into parents' pockets and building the foundation for a more equitable economy that works for everyday New Yorkers, not billionaires. I look forward to working with the Governor and my colleagues to ensure we reach this objective and have parity for Upstate New York families."

Assemblymember Didi Barrett said, "I am thrilled to see the Governor's commitment to universal child care is coming to Dutchess County - building on my own recent investment of $1 million to fund the expansion of child care facilities and services at Dutchess Community College to include infant care for the first time. Universal child care sets our children up for success while allowing parents and caregivers to get back to work, creating and ensuring good-paying jobs, and bolstering economic development. Today's announcement shows New York's commitment to making child care truly universal - reaching children of all abilities in all regions of the state."

Assemblymember Jonathan Jacobson said, "In the past, universal programs have too often left out the Hudson Valley and Upstate. Today's announcement shows that the Governor is committed to including us. I look forward to seeing this program grow across my district.""

Assemblymember Sarah Clark said, "For far too long, we've known our child care ecosystem needs both investment and imagination to truly work for our providers and every child and family regardless of their situation. As the realities of working parents evolve and the costs continuing to rise, finding ways to innovate in our child care programs is critical. Our first Mom governor is proposing exactly that, identifying communities to test and try pilot programs that will ensure truly universal childcare for every family regardless of income or workforce needs. Allowing Monroe County and other communities in the state to expand child care options, especially for children 0-3, will create opportunities, financial stability and increased support for working families. As we continue the budget process over the next three months, I look forward to working with Governor Hochul, our legislative body in the Assembly and the #Momsquad on solutions like these types of pilots that will put Rochester and all of New York State on a real path to universal child care."

Assemblymember Demond Meeks said, "As a parent and a grandparent, I know firsthand how critical access to affordable, high-quality child care is for working families and for the long-term success of our communities. I commend the Governor's commitment to fully funding the early years of New York City's child care expansion, strengthening the 3K program, and investing in the early childhood workforce. These initiatives will help ensure families, especially those in high-need communities, have the support they need while giving our children a strong start and our workforce the stability it deserves."

Assemblymember Jennifer Lunsford said, "This is a total game-changer. When I first began running for office my son was 15 months old and we were spending over $18,000 per year on childcare. Making childcare more affordable has been one of my top priorities since taking office, and while we have been successful increasing access to subsidies and bolstering the childcare workforce, true universal childcare seemed out of reach-- until today. Monroe County hosting this pilot will change lives. Not only will this put thousands of dollars back into the pockets of young families, it will act as an adrenaline shot to our economy, allowing parents to keep working, or return to work, because they can afford to put their children in safe, quality childcare. Thank you to my fellow mom in government, Governor Kathy Hochul, for helping us get this done."

Assemblymember Stephen Hawley said, "I'm glad to see this historic investment that will expand access to child care across Monroe County. At a time when working families are struggling to make ends meet, this state pilot program will help ensure children have the support they need to thrive without placing an additional financial burden on parents. I'm proud to see these dollars reinvested in our community, and I will continue working with my colleagues in Albany to make sure these resources remain accessible and affordable for families across Western New York."

Assemblymember Brian Manktelow said, "I am elated to hear that Governor Hochul has included Monroe County as one of the partners in the new pilot program aimed at delivering universal childcare for families with children aged 0-3. As Monroe County is part of my district, I want to aid in any way that can offer constituents the chance to receive some relief in these trying times where childcare is difficult to find as well as fund, even on two incomes. I truly want to see this program succeed so it can be implemented in Wayne County as well, where this would make an incredible impact and allow so many families to get back on a stable track without the fear of having to compromise their homes, jobs, and families. As hopeful as I am for this program, I must encourage my fellow colleagues and our state leadership to make sure this program is being constructed in a way that will not create a different financial burden on taxpayers."

Assemblymember Josh Jensen said, "Expanding access to quality, affordable child care is essential for working families and for keeping parents in the workforce. I appreciate the governor's decision to choose Monroe County as one of three counties to be part of a pilot program to offer additional child care options for families. We know that fixing our state's child care crisis requires innovative proposals to address the needs of families and providers, and I look forward to working with all of my colleagues in government to address this critically important issue."

Assemblymember Joseph Angelino said, "I am glad to see this pilot program being implemented in Broome County, which will help working families ensure their young children get the education they deserve, help the economy and create more jobs and that rural communities are not left behind. These funds will help open the largest child care facility in the county, and I cannot wait to visit to see all the good work they do."

Assemblymember Anil R. Beephan Jr. said, "Thank you Governor Kathy Hochul for including Dutchess County families in this investment. I've spoken with local officials here in Dutchess County, and there is strong support for this investment. I'm glad to see taxpayer dollars returning to our community in a way that directly benefits our residents. Any time we can bring resources home and improve quality of life for families in Dutchess County, that's a win for the entire region."

Dutchess County Executive Sue Serino said, "As a mom and a former provider of childcare services, I know that quality childcare changes lives. It gives children the strong start they deserve and gives parents the chance to work, grow, and provide. Childcare is one of the smartest, most impactful investments we can make-strengthening our economy and building healthier communities. That's why in Dutchess County, we're committed to working with the Governor and the State on this groundbreaking program to expand access to affordable, high-quality childcare for every family."

Contact the Governor's Press Office