Today, hundreds of thousands of New York children head back to school — and for many parents, there’s a milestone worth celebrating: more kids than ever will start the year in free, publicly-funded child care.
That’s because this year, New York passed a historic expansion of free early childhood education: a statewide free pre-K guarantee, the launch of free 2-K for two-year-olds in New York City, and pilot programs to start expanding free care to infants and toddlers across the state.
It’s one of the strongest commitments to families any state has made, and it’s already changing lives.
But the job isn’t done yet. As the new school year begins, tens of thousands of parents across New York are still scrambling — because even this year’s historic expansion doesn’t reach most families with young children.
The gaps are everywhere. In New York City, there are still few affordable options under age two. Across the rest of the state, free care doesn’t even begin until age four. A stunning 96% of three-year-olds statewide have no access to free child care.
And even the programs New Yorkers can be proudest of — free universal 3-K and pre-K — still mostly run part of the day, ending around 2:30, while parents work until six. A “free” seat that ends in the early afternoon still leaves families paying for after-care, or leaving work early for pickup.
We know this struggle personally. We are both parents of children one and under. Between the two of us, we’ve navigated impossible hours, sticker shock, and the exhausting search for good care that’s both close to home and affordable. Managing child care is nearly as demanding — financially and emotionally — as the full-time jobs we love.
Across New York, parents like us are in the same boat — taking on debt, cutting back hours, turning down promotions, or leaving the workforce entirely, with the sacrifices falling primarily on women.
Others are voting with their feet. A recent Citizens Budget Commission analysis found that New York’s population has fallen well below its pre-COVID-19 peak — and that millennials, the generation now starting families, are leaving the state in greater numbers than any other generation. Those families are the glue of our communities — and the foundation we need for a healthy tax base.
But this year proved what we can achieve when parents don’t give up and when leaders listen. New York didn’t just expand child care — it modeled what’s possible when the government meets families where they are.
That’s exactly why we can’t stop now. We made history this year — but this is no time to rest on our laurels. We have to keep expanding the care families need. That means permanent, guaranteed funding for 2-K so it reaches every two-year-old in New York City, and free 3-K for every three-year-old statewide. It means no more seats that end at 2:30 and leave working parents stranded. Every seat should be available all day and all year long — whether it’s 2-K, 3-K, or pre-K.
And finally, it means funding this essential public good in a way that lasts — a progressive, sustainable source of revenue, so a program families depend on can’t be cut when budgets get tight.
New York has made more progress on child care than almost anywhere in America. Now we have to finish the fight — to serve every family, in every neighborhood, from a child’s first months until they begin kindergarten.
Santosuosso is a Council member serving on the Subcommittee on Early Childhood Education. Bailin is executive director of New Yorkers United for Child Care.