Poverty Tracker Report Finds Expansion of Child Care Could Move As Many As 12,000 New Yorkers Out of Poverty Each Year 

At full scale, citywide 2-K and 3-K could lift 4,100 two- and three-year-olds out of poverty annually, an anti-poverty impact for this age group that rivals SNAP and far exceeds WIC

More than one in five New York City parents experienced some form of child care hardship in 2024, with single mothers and families just above the poverty line hit hardest by a crisis that now reaches far beyond the city’s poorest households

NEW YORK – Today, Robin Hood and Columbia University’s Center on Poverty and Social Policy released two companion Poverty Tracker reports making a powerful case that expanding 2-K and 3-K could be one of the most effective anti-poverty tools available to New York City.

The first report, Universal Child Care as Anti-Poverty Policy, finds that 4,100 two- and three-year-olds would have been lifted out of poverty each year had universal 2-K and 3-K been in place at full coverage between 2022 and 2024 – reducing poverty in this age group by roughly 9% and moving 12,000 New Yorkers out of poverty in total when parents and siblings are included. The second, Spotlight on: Child Care Hardship among New York City Parents, finds that more than one in five working parents experienced some form of child care hardship in 2024, with the burden falling hardest on parents in poverty, single mothers, and Black parents. The findings were unveiled at a convening bringing together early childhood providers, researchers, government leaders, and other partners to examine what universal child care implementation should look like as the city makes critical decisions about how to build it.

Together, the reports demonstrate why child care must be treated as core economic infrastructure for New York City families. As the city weighs how to expand access to 2-K and 3-K, the data can inform the creation of a universal system that reduces poverty, supports work, and delivers quality care.

“This research makes something clear: universal child care isn’t just an education policy — it’s one of the most powerful anti-poverty tools this city has. Philanthropy has a responsibility to help government move from promise to practice, and that means doing the hard, unglamorous work of building the infrastructure that makes a program like this actually work for families. That’s where Robin Hood is focused, and that’s where the field needs to build,” said Richard R. Buery Jr., CEO of Robin Hood.

Universal Child Care as Anti-Poverty Policy: The Case for 2-K and 3-K

Expanding 2-K and 3-K to a universal scale would be among the most consequential anti-poverty interventions available to the city.

• Between 2022 and 2024, child care expenses pushed an average of 3,400 two- and three-year-olds into poverty each year, raising the poverty rate for this age group from 23.6% to 25.5%.
• Had universal 2-K and 3-K been in place at full coverage during this period, the program would have cut poverty among two- and three-year-olds by 8.8%, lifting 4,100 of these young children out of poverty each year.
• The total impact would extend well beyond the children directly enrolled: an estimated 7,200 children overall and 12,000 New Yorkers in total would have been moved out of poverty annually.
• The anti-poverty impact among two- and three-year-olds exceeds that of WIC (1,200 children) and approaches that of SNAP (6,200 children), placing universal 2-K and 3-K among the most powerful anti-poverty programs available to the city.

For families hovering just above the poverty line, child care expenses can be the catalyst that pushes them under. A broadly expanded 2-K and 3-K program would absorb those expenses while enabling parents, particularly mothers, to enter or remain in the workforce, lifting family income while reducing family expenses.

“When we think about what families need to get by, we think about food and housing,” said Christopher T. Wimer, director of Columbia University’s Center on Poverty and Social Policy. “But for parents of young children, few things matter more than knowing their child is somewhere safe, nurturing, and affordable while they work. Right now, one in five of those parents is making painful tradeoffs on their child’s care because of cost — and that’s a problem the city and state can’t afford to ignore.”

Spotlight on Child Care Hardship: A Crisis That Reaches Across the Income Spectrum

Child care hardship has become widespread among New York City families, cutting across income levels and hitting some communities far harder than others.

• In 2024, more than one in five (21%) New York City parents experienced some form of child care hardship, meaning they cut back on care, stopped using care, or relied on care they felt was inadequate because they could not afford better options.
• 15% of parents had to stop using child care or cut back on hours because of cost; 14% relied on an arrangement they felt was inadequate.
• Hardship rates are highest among parents in poverty (37%) but remain elevated for low-income families between 100% and 200% of the poverty line (22%), confirming that the crisis reaches well beyond the poorest households.
• Single mothers face the steepest burden: 38% experienced child care hardship in 2024, nearly twice the citywide rate. Black parents and parents already experiencing other forms of material hardship are also disproportionately affected.

Robin Hood’s Investment in Building the Infrastructure for Universal Child Care

As one of New York City’s largest private investors in early childhood, Robin Hood is actively laying the foundation for a universal child care system that works for families. Robin Hood’s investments reflect its conviction that the promise of universal child care will only be as strong as the infrastructure behind it.

• This year, Robin Hood will put more than $22 million to work immediately to strengthen early childhood across the city, a 75% increase in early childhood investment over the past ten years.
• Robin Hood’s early childhood investments span the full continuum of a young child’s life, from early brain development and maternal and infant health to access and quality of early care, including child care.
• Robin Hood’s Fund for Early Learning (FUEL), the organization’s signature ten-year, $66 million early childhood initiative, has already directed $53.8 million toward early childhood grants and catalyzed more than $63 million in additional government and private funding.
• The establishment of the Jackie Bezos Endowment for Early Childhood at Robin Hood, a $100 million endowment, represents a landmark commitment to sustaining this work for generations, ensuring that Robin Hood’s investment in the youngest New Yorkers is permanent and enduring.
• Robin Hood funded the largest citywide parents’ survey on child care in city history, a $500K+ investment with NORC, the Mayor’s Office of Child Care and Early Childhood Education, and New America, to ensure that the design of universal child care is grounded in what families need.
• Robin Hood provided seed funding to help stand up the city’s Office of Child Care and Early Childhood Education, a foundational piece of the administrative infrastructure required to coordinate, implement, and sustain a universal system.

About the Poverty Tracker

Since 2012, the Poverty Tracker has surveyed a representative sample of 3,000 New York households multiple times a year, providing critical longitudinal insight into the dynamics of poverty and disadvantage in the city, tracking employment, assets and debts, health, and more. The Poverty Tracker is a joint project of Robin Hood and Columbia University’s Center on Poverty and Social Policy.

About Robin Hood

We are NYC’s largest local poverty-fighting philanthropy, and since 1988, we have invested $3 billion to elevate and fuel New Yorkers’ permanent escapes from poverty. In 2025, through $140 million in grantmaking to 295 community partners, we created pathways to opportunity through strategic partnerships on child care, child poverty, jobs, living wages, and more. We are scaling impact at a population level for the more than two million New Yorkers living in poverty. At Robin Hood, we believe your starting point in life should not define where you end up. To learn more about our work and impact, please visit robinhood.org and follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, and X.

About Columbia University’s Center on Poverty and Social Policy

The Center on Poverty and Social Policy at the Columbia University School of Social Work produces actionable research to advance our understanding of poverty and the role of social policy in reducing poverty and promoting economic security, opportunity, and well-being in New York City and the United States. povertycenter.columbia.edu.