Robin Hood Praises Governor Hochul’s Historic Expansion of Child Care for Young Children: A Commitment Marking a New Era for Working Families Statewide

NEW YORK, NY – Governor Kathy Hochul’s robust child care expansion announced today, which includes establishing universal 3-K statewide, ensuring New York City’s 3-K program reaches all families, fully funding first two years of the city’s 2-K expansion, and increasing child care vouchers for low-income families across the five boroughs, positions New York as national leader in building the child care system that working parents need to succeed.

“Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, New York is making one of the most significant commitments in the country to strengthen the child care system families rely on,” said Richard R. Buery Jr., CEO of Robin Hood. “When child care is unaffordable or unavailable, parents’ jobs are put at risk, children miss out on critical early learning, and poverty becomes harder to escape. Governor Hochul has been a true partner and a champion for families—someone who understands that real progress requires real investment. Having helped lead the launch of universal pre-K in New York City in 2014, I’ve seen the transformative impact of free, high-quality, full-day child care on children and parents alike. This proposal builds on that legacy and puts New York on a path toward a more affordable, more equitable future that sets a new standard for the nation.”

This commitment would ease financial pressure on tens of thousands of households while helping ensure the  youngest New Yorkers can access early education during the years that matter most. Today’s announcement builds on the Governor’s record of putting families first, including a catalytic $7 billion child care investment in 2022, and, most recently, a robust expansion of the Empire State Child Credit  to further the state’s ambitious goal of cutting child poverty in half by 2032.

Since 2022, the governor has tripled the number of low-income children benefitting from the state’s child care assistance program, bringing the number of children who received vouchers from approximately 37,000 to approximately 113,000 children as of September 2025. Statewide, that number has grown from roughly 60,000 to 169,000 children receiving child care assistance. Furthermore, under Gov Hochul’s leadership, the state more than tripled the Empire State Child Credit for babies and toddlers, and nearly doubled the credit amount for older children, benefiting more than 2.75 children statewide, including 190,000 children who are newly eligible for the credit.

Forthcoming research from the Poverty Tracker, a longitudinal study by Robin Hood and Columbia University exploring the impact of poverty and material hardship over time, underscores how widespread—and unequal—child care hardship is in New York City. Non-partnered women, young parents, New Yorkers without a bachelor’s degree, and those facing other forms of poverty and disadvantage are hit hardest. Too often, families are forced into impossible tradeoffs between paying for care and meeting basic needs. The new data show:

• One fifth of New York City parents experienced child care hardship in the form of using child care that they felt was inadequate, cutting back on hours, or stopping the use of child care altogether due to costs. 
• Younger parents, aged 25-34, experienced the highest rates of child care hardship, at 29%.
• Nearly half (46%) of parents with only some college or an associate’s degree experienced child care hardship.
• 37% of female New Yorkers living without a spouse or partner experienced child care hardship.
• Child care hardship is compounded by other forms of disadvantage: Nearly half of parents (49%) facing severe material hardship – in the domains of food, housing, bills, finances, and healthcare referenced earlier – reported facing childcare hardship as well.

Robin Hood is proud to stand with Governor Hochul as she continues to advance policies that create pathways out of poverty for all New Yorkers. We look forward to the swift and intact passage of these proposals by the legislature to ensure every family in New York can access the child care they need and deserve.

About Robin Hood

We are NYC’s largest local poverty-fighting philanthropy and since 1988, we have invested nearly $3 billion to elevate and fuel New Yorkers’ permanent escapes from poverty. In 2025, through $140 million in grantmaking with 225 community partners, we created pathways to opportunities out of poverty through our strategic partnerships on child care, child poverty, jobs, living wages, and more. We are scaling impact at a population level for the 2 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, follow us on X @RobinHoodNYC or go to robinhood.org.

Media Contact

Crystal Cooper, Deputy Director of Communications, Robin Hood, press@robinhood.org