Literacy in Community (LINC) celebrates recent announcements by New York State Governor Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani regarding additional investments in early childhood services. Great news for New York City families.
On October 5th, the Mayor and the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) announced that the city will deliver free child care to more than 10,000 children by moving them off the child care voucher waitlist. Supported by a $1.2 billion investment from Governor Kathy Hochul towards the city’s free child care initiatives, the funding will support low-income children ages 6 weeks to 13 years, and through age 19 for children with special needs.
The City has added a new feature to its child care map and website – nyc.gov/childcare – which allows families, for the first time ever, to search for licensed child care programs and filter for which of them accept child care vouchers. This announcement follows Mayor Mamdani’s $5.2 million investment to eliminate all out-of-pocket fees for families receiving child care vouchers in New York City and builds upon the launch of 2-K, the city’s first free, universal child care program for two-year-olds.
On October 19th, Mayor Mamdani and Governor Hochul announced the school districts selected to receive the next 10,000 2-K seats for Fall 2027. This expansion extends the program to every school district in the Bronx and all of Staten Island, bringing the total number of children with access to 2-K to 12,000.
These investments signify an important shift in our government’s perception of the value of early childhood services. Historically, discussions of childcare centered on access, affordability, pay parity and the necessity of childcare to enable full participation by the workforce in the economy, especially by parents of young children. Extending the concept from daycare to 2K presents an opportunity to embed age appropriate educational practices into the childcare setting and to create nurturing environments that support all children on their journey to reading proficiency. Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels offered a welcome acknowledgement that learning begins well before school: “As an educator and a parent, I know that education begins long before kindergarten. These early years are critical to building the foundation for lifelong learning, curiosity, confidence, and connection.”
LINC applauds the decision to focus on communities of greatest need as 2K is implemented across all five boroughs. “Reaching children well before school starts, while their brains are growing to 90% of their adult capacity, is key. Equally important is reaching their families so that children have positive, healthy experiences at home, aligned with what they experience at 2K, arriving at school excited about books and ready to learn” observed LINC Executive Director Shari Levine. She continued, “The increasing availability of 2K programs offers an exciting way to build foundational equity and eliminate the opportunity gap which so often becomes an achievement gap as children move through our educational system. Through our LINCubator programs, LINC already provides professional development for child care staff and literacy workshops for families with children from birth to five. As 2-K expands, we stand ready to help providers embed early literacy practices in these classrooms and to support the families of the children they serve.”
About Literacy in Community (LINC)
Literacy in Community (LINC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to closing opportunity gaps by equipping families with the tools to support their children’s literacy development from birth. Since 1996, LINC has partnered with communities across New York City to deliver culturally responsive, evidence-based literacy programming where families already live, learn, and gather.
Our LINCubator programs synthesize professional development for childcare staff paired with workshops for parents plus joyful community based programs for families with children from birth through age five. We also participate in and lead several cross-sector collaborations that support our youngest learners and their families. LINC is a leader in developing an early childhood ecosystem that will support all children in reaching their full potential and lead to greater equity. We are involved with the following efforts:
City’s First Readers Center for Public Research & Leadership
Upper Manhattan Early Childhood Connect
NYC Reads Neighborhood Initiative
Staten Island Alliance for North Shore Children and Families