Speaker 1 (00:01):
Please welcome to the podium, working mom Ceona Dawes, YMCA Senior Vice President Sharon Levy, the mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani And now, please rise and welcome to the podium, the 57th governor of the great state of New York, Governor Kathy Hochul.
Governor Kathy Hochul (00:50):
[inaudible 00:00:50]
(00:50)
Hi, everyone. Good morning.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Morning.
Governor Kathy Hochul (01:04):
Good morning. This is the day that everything changes. I'm so proud to be here at the Flatbush Y to declare that New York State is open for families as families. And I'm so proud to be joined by an extraordinary partner first week on the job, which you'd never know it. Mayor Mamdani has put forth a vision for this city that I am a big supporter of, and that is to make this city more affordable, more livable, more people friendly. And we're going to continue working together. We also know that for a long time, families have been crying out for help. And I want to thank everyone in this room who's listened to those cries, who said the status quo is not working. We can do better because we're New Yorkers. Of course, we can dream bigger and do more and be more audacious. And that's why you're witnessing history here today.
(02:24)
So to all the champions, the advocates, our host, Sharon Levy, the vice president of the YMCA, be hearing from Sharon. Hey, Sharon. Our brand newly elected city council speaker Julie Menin has joined us. Ceona Dawes, you're going to be hearing from a working mom. Yeah. Who's a working mom in this room? I am. But also my colleagues in government who are shoulder to shore with me as we've worked for many years to bring forth change for families. And I thank them for supporting our investments and our vision. And I know we're also, and I can't acknowledge all the electeds, but I have to give a home turf advantage to Senator Kevin Parker. Let's give him a round of applause, this is his district and Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, who's been a great champion and mother of little Daniel, who's been featured and met … Daniel's here?
Speaker 3 (03:25):
Oh yeah.
Governor Kathy Hochul (03:25):
Daniel's here. I never go anywhere to see this woman without Daniel at her side. I think Daniel's going to be talking about running for office before too long, it's the only life this poor child knows.
(03:38)
But the families have been crying for help whether you live in Flatbush or you live upstate in the Finger Lakes. This is something every family can agree on. The cost of childcare is too damn high. As I said, I'm New York's first mom governor, and I understand the urgency of this crisis because I lived it. Now it was a few decades ago. I'm willing to admit that. But I had a job that I dreamed about. My highest aspiration, and I encourage others to dream bigger, was to be a staffer for a senator someday on Capitol Hill. I achieved that in my 20s with Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, but our family was beginning. And when that little boy came along, I could not find childcare and certainly not childcare that we could afford with two government employees on a payroll.
(04:36)
So I had to make a choice that I never thought I would do is walk away from that dream job and become a full-time mom because it costs too much for childcare for me to walk out the door in the morning. So I put my dreams on hold. And to be honest with you, I never knew when they'd get back on track. It was a big time of uncertainty for us. But not only that, when your income, true family income, goes down to one, you're clipping a lot of coupons for diapers and formula. And you're just sitting there stressed out looking that bill at the end of the month, the utilities and the groceries and the gas and everything else.
(05:14)
So that was my lived experience. And now that little one, that baby has his own three year old and nothing's changed. It's still one of the biggest expenses for our families is the cost of childcare. So today we're working together with the Mayor at this incredible place to announce the first major steps to make childcare here in New York City as well as transforming the lives of children and parents all across the state. So we've already invested, thank you legislators, a significant amount in childcare. About three and a half times what it was when I first became governor just four years ago. More than any governor who came before me, $8 billion in childcare already.
(06:12)
But we know … Yes, that's a lot of money. But we know that this is a determinant factor on whether or not a family who wants to stay in New York or come to New York. Whether or not they can pull it all off and make it work, but also affects our businesses. Think about this. Why do people need childcare? Because they're going to a job. They're going to work. They're part of our economy, part of our productivity, revenues that we need in Albany. So if people stay home, it all collapses. We saw that during the pandemic. And I'm looking at my commissioner of labor, Roberta Reardon, and I don't want to mention pandemic, but we had hundreds and hundred millions of people collecting unemployment because there were no jobs. And we're not talking about that scale anymore, heaven help us if we do. But this is a daily occurrence.
(07:10)
And I want to say we are so focused because I know my story is not unique. Right here, childcare costs between 26,000 and 40,000 a year, that's more than a cost, that's double the cost of a SUNY or CUNY college education. I mean, think about that. Okay. I can either take care of my child or pay for college someday. What are we talking about here? A family with an infinite and a toddler, and that was me. But today they're making … They'd say they're making half of the city's median income. They're spending half of their money on childcare. The math just doesn't add up. So here's what's happening. Either people are saying, instead of getting together and talking about planning for that baby, maybe painting an extra bedroom, if you have one, I don't know who has an extra bedroom anymore. Paint the living room.
(08:17)
You should be talking about that. But instead they're talking about maybe we can't afford to have kids at all. Maybe it's not going to be part of our dream or sick and tired of trying to figure all this out in a patchwork system that's not working. And they get worn down by the stress of it all. Hey, sweetie. They get worn down by it, right? This takes a toll. But you know what? At some point they might just say, "I can't do this anymore. I have to leave a place I grew up and a place I love." That to me is tragic. When someone leaves, we're all diminished. Our state, our city, we're sapped of the
Governor Kathy Hochul (09:00):
The collective vitality and energy that each family and each child brings, they're growing up in a different state. And for decades, governors have promised some form of childcare, but never delivered. And I'm here to say the era of empty promises ends with the two of us right here, right now. We've laid the foundation since I took office and I announced this in my state of the state exactly one year ago, that we'll be on a path to lay the groundwork for a robust universal childcare system statewide. We've already invested 6.5 billion in our state childcare assistance program, dramatically expanding the eligibility and capping costs at $15 per week for most of those families. That's incredible. We've doubled the number of children served by vouchers. We also knew we had a workforce shortage, especially after the pandemic. We invested over $500 million in direct bonuses to 80,000 workers to let them know we value them and to lift them up.
(10:17)
And we also increased reimbursement rates, which we are told were too low. We increased them by 50%. This is to help the providers maintain their staff and have a high quality of care, but also we needed buildings. We needed investments. $110 million in new capital funding to open hundreds of new childcare centers. Now all of this groundwork was important. It's still important. But when I announced we're going to begin on a path to universal childcare, I said this has to go first. It doesn't happen overnight. You just don't declare we now have universal childcare in the state of New York, right? You're all with me on that. Okay. But it has to start somewhere. It requires skilled and caring workers and safe and welcoming places and sustained investment. And today we're turning that foundation into a concrete multi-year roadmap that'll ultimately deliver universal childcare for every single New York family, statewide, regardless of their income.
(11:28)
Every child will have the same opportunity. Will get the same head start. And no working parent will have to sacrifice their paycheck and career to make sure their babies and toddlers have an opportunity to grow and thrive. So let's take a couple minutes to talk about how we accomplish this starting right here in New York City. And I'm going to let the mayor talk about most of this. But this city just elected a mayor who spoke boldly of his vision for universal childcare and what needs to happen to be on this road. Back in November, fresh off the election, we sat down. We had many conversations leading up to this, but we started talking about how we make this vision become reality, no longer a dream. And I told him this, whatever the city was ready to deliver, I would be his partner 100% of the way.
(12:23)
And today I'm proud to announce that New York State is paying the full cost to launch Two Care for the first time. Universal daycare for two year olds as proposed by Mayor Mamdani. And we're not just paying for one year of the program. We don't usually go one year out in our budget, but just to let you know how serious we are, we're taking the unprecedented step to not just commit for the 2027 budget, which I'm working on right now, but also the following year as well to show you we're in this for the long haul.
(12:55)
In the next few minutes, you'll hear from the mayor about how to implement his plan, he'll explain all this, but as the city builds capacity and trains workers and brings more communities online, we'll continue to provide the necessary funding to make sure that every child has access to this childcare. Now across the state, my friends, this might be a newsflash, but there's more to the New York State than just New York City. Okay? Can you work with me on this?
Speaker 4 (13:28):
Yes.
Governor Kathy Hochul (13:29):
Okay. All right. So we got to look out for everybody. Everybody. So I have a little bit different approach for upstate because they're not as far ahead when it comes to four-year-old and three-year-old programs. We have some catch up to do there. And I'm proud to lead that effort, but it's an equally ambitious approach. And despite the fact that we've had a universal pre-K program in use for a decade, the people aren't doing it.
(13:56)
Communities are not stepping up to do this. Communities have just not found a way to implement this, and that's a real barrier for families living outside the city. So to help them grow aligned more closely to what we're doing here in the city, we're going to invest $470 million to support the administration of universal peak pre-K across all of our towns and our cities and deliver on the guarantee I'm making today that universal pre-K will be available for every single four year old across New York by 2028, two years from now, because every child deserves this. The same opportunity. Will not be mandatory for those who are staying in parts of the state. We don't want to be told what to do. I get it. If you have another path to take care of your kids, God bless you. But a lot of people don't.
(14:49)
A lot of people don't. And that's who we also have to step up for. On top of this, I'm announcing a pilot to start a web of community-based daycares. When? Not someday in the future, but starting this year to provide year round, full day affordable care for newborns to three year olds across the state. Now that's going to start. We'll be announcing the initial counties. Again, some baby steps are required here, so work with us. But the initial counties we announced and we talk about how we grow this up after this initial year or two to grow this exponentially. And we'll double down on the proven success of our state childcare assistance program, our voucher system, with an additional, drum roll for this, an additional $1.2 billion for communities across the state, including New York City. A 40% increase from last year.
(15:52)
That'll help hundreds of thousands of families just keep their costs low and keep their heads above water. So this year we're committing an additional 1.7 billion in what we call recurring spending, something my budget director hates, but meaning we're committed. And so that means our total childcare investment this year will be $4.5 billion in the state of New York.
(16:20)
So we're in this. We're in for the long haul because for working parents, having access to affordable childcare you can trust, it changes everything in your life because before kids, you didn't think about it. But all of a sudden, when that baby is born and you hold the baby for the first time or you adopt a child, bring the baby into your family, your priorities shift within seconds and all of a sudden your whole fiber and your whole being is surrounded by doing something that's going to help make this baby's life better, better than perhaps your own life was.
(17:05)
That is what parents want to do and I want to let them do that. And if we can take this stress point off the plate of all the other struggles they have, my friends, then we are making New York State and New York City, the best places in the nation to live, to raise a family, to grow a business, and to prosper. Everyone has access to this. Now who are we talking about? People in this room. Think about people all across the state, the nurse from Yonkers who gets up with the crack of dawn. I wanted to say this, no longer has to pack lunches if the kids are school age. We do free school lunches and breakfast. A lot of parents are happy with that one. We're feeding our babies, taking care of our kids, but they drop their kids off at six in the morning, get to work by seven or a housekeeper in Midwood who leaves her toddler with a neighbor in the morning, trying to figure out what's going to happen if
Governor Kathy Hochul (18:00):
The neighbor gets sick or has to go somewhere. These are all stresses. Now I mention Mariah here, mother of two. Mariah, stand up please. Mariah. Mariah has a dream. She's pursuing her job of becoming a nurse while juggling not one job, but two jobs as an aesthetician and a teacher just to pay the bills. Every morning at 7:30 in the morning, she drops the kids off at a daycare down the road. And in that moment when she says goodbye, and I'm sure there's a lot of tears, but you know that they're safe and cared for, that allows you to take that sigh of relief and say, "My baby's okay. My child's okay. I'm going to be okay and we're going to get through this." To give that gift to people, I cannot underestimate what that does to your psyche and your whole being because as I said, that child is your entire world. And when your child is okay, then you're going to be just fine.
(19:06)
And so that's the power of affordable childcare. It gives parents like Mariah and others the foundation they need. And I'm proud to deliver on this very ambitious, very ambitious plan with existing state revenues. We got it done, we found a path forward and there's nothing going to get in our way. And I want to continue focusing on these transformational plans and the support we're providing Mayor Mamdani to make our collective vision become a reality. So this is how we thrive. This is how we make life better. So to Mariah and all the parents out there across New York, this one's for you. We're going to lift you up. We're going to support you. We hear you. We hear you. And I'll never stop fighting for you, your families and your futures. Thank you very much, everyone. Thank you. Thank you. Let me welcome Mayor Mamdani. Someone who's also a big dreamer, but also knows the dreams can get you this far, but now it's about the implementation, it's the execution and it's the follow through. So that's the difference. People can espouse great thoughts. Many have come and gone in our halls of government for a long time, but you're looking at someone who wants to get things done and I'll be a willing partner to that. Ladies and gentlemen, our mayor.
Zohran Mamdani (20:57):
Good morning, New York.
Audience (20:58):
Good morning.
Zohran Mamdani (21:01):
Today, we take one step to realizing a city where every New Yorker, every family, every child can afford to keep calling it their home.
Governor Kathy Hochul (21:15):
Yes.
Zohran Mamdani (21:18):
It is an honor to be here in Flatbush alongside Governor Hochul. Governor, thank you for your partnership and thank you for your leadership. And I want to say thank you to the incredible organizers, advocates, elected officials that we have here at every single level of government who have willed this day into existence. Truly, thank you to all of you. To those who doubt the power of the people to make their own destiny, to the cynics who insist that politics is too broken to deliver meaningful change, to those who think that the promises of a campaign cannot survive once confronted with the realities of government. Today is your answer. This is a day that so many believed would never come, but it is a day that working people across our city have delivered through the sheer power of their hard work and their unwavering belief that a better future was indeed within their grasp.
(22:29)
We stand here today because of the millions of phone numbers that were dialed, conversations had, voicemails left, each of them, a New Yorker speaking to another New Yorker, each of them making the case for a future that working people could in fact afford. And we stand here today because of the untold stairs climbed and doors knocked by volunteers who encouraged neighbors they had never met to imagine a New York where a dignified life was in fact possible. And we stand here today because of the young New Yorkers who were no longer willing to accept that the joy of beginning a family had to be paired with the heartbreak of moving away from a city that they had always loved.
(23:18)
In short, my friends, we stand here today because of a movement brave enough to make a promise and even braver to know that it could fulfill it. Today, that movement, that fight, that New York has won. And if this moment where I stand alongside our governor marks the dawn of a new day, we know that it does so because New Yorkers have lifted it themselves with their own hands, their refusal to accept that government could not deliver the change that they knew was possible. And that new day will cast a light across our city. It will be felt by millions of New Yorkers, by Mariah in this room and by so many others across every single part of the city that we call home. It will be felt not only when we make pre-K truly universal, but expand this care to include all two and three year olds across this city.
(24:19)
As the governor said, we will deliver to care by working in partnership with childcare providers, especially home-based providers who have been doing this work without thanks or recognition for far too long. We will build on the city's existing 3K program and say no longer will a family in Flatbush be offered a seat, but have to find out that that seat is in Astoria. We will add seats in the neighborhoods where demand has not been met. This will be felt by expanded subsidies for tens of thousands of additional families. It will be felt when parents look at their bank accounts at the end of the year and see that they have saved more than $20,000 per child. And it will be felt when neighborhoods no longer feel hollow and empty because those we love haven't been forced to move away to raise their children elsewhere. It will be felt when our children receive high quality care and enjoy better outcomes later in life as a direct result.
(25:33)
And I want to be clear, this will include children with disabilities and children who live in our shelters. This will be felt when our economy hums with the hard work of parents who are able to return to the jobs that they love rather than have to quit because they can't afford to pay for care. And that feeling will not be abstract. Its mere absence has been measured to the tune of $23 billion in a single year of economic productivity in this city. I want to express how proud I am of this victory that we have achieved together, the political will we have mustered together and the partnership between city and state government that we will enact this movement's vision together.
(26:23)
And I stand here on this stage alongside our governor in deep recognition that for too many years, the relationship between Albany and City Hall has been defined by dysfunction and discord, by feuds and by factionalism. Petty grievances have interfered with the work of serving the people. Political posturing has consumed the attention of those with the power to transform lives. And I am deeply committed alongside this governor to charting a new course, one where people look to government and expect collaboration, not competition. And I am
Zohran Mamdani (27:00):
… Deeply grateful to count Governor Hochul as a partner in this work. And I know that for Governor Hochul, unlike any governor before, this progress is deeply personal. She, like so many other parents, could not find childcare when she had her son and had to quit her job working for Senator Moynihan. She better than most knows how devastating these costs can be and how they can put a career on pause. And the governor has heard what I have heard, that these struggles are in fact ones that are reflected across our city. These are the struggles of parents pushing strollers here in Flatbush, from couples in Astoria who want to stay in Astoria. For New Yorkers in Washington Heights working three jobs to make ends meet and it still isn't enough. And that if government makes it just a little bit easier to get by in this city, to raise a family in this city, these New Yorkers would be able to afford the lives they have dreamt of in this city. No one is asking for life in New York City to be easy. They just want it to be a little less hard.
(28:15)
So today, together, that is exactly what we are achieving. So I thank Governor Hochul for her partnership. I thank her for her leadership, and I thank her for standing alongside me and this entire coalition. As we deliver for the parents, the children, the people of New York whose voices are finally being heard.
(28:40)
And lastly, let us never forget that victories like these are political choices. Governor Hochul and I have made the choice to deliver for working families. We have made the choice to take these steps towards universal childcare. We have made this choice to fix 3K, to deliver universal 2 care, to ensure that as the governor said, the days of empty promises are over. And we have made this choice so that no longer do New Yorkers have to make the choice between this city and their family. This is a choice born out of a new era of politics, an era where working people in this city will finally be at the heart of the decisions that we make. And today, day eight, shows exactly what that politics will look like. Thank you, Governor Hochul. Thank you to everyone on this stage. And thank you to New Yorkers for believing that this city could in fact be the one that we deserve. Truly. I now would like to pass it over to Sharon Levy of the YMCA.
Speaker 5 (30:01):
Yay.
Governor Kathy Hochul (30:07):
I got to follow this guy? That was not in my notes. Good morning. Thank you. Thank you for being here at the Flatbush Y. What an amazing day. My name is Sharon Levy. I am a proud staff person of the YMCA of Greater New York, a community service organization that you all may know. You're in the building. 175 years of providing programs and services to New Yorkers across the city in all five boroughs, especially childcare, youth services and afterschool. Thank you very much. Appreciate that. I'm just going to look for my glasses real fast.
Speaker 5 (30:41):
They're cheaters.
Governor Kathy Hochul (30:41):
Yeah, they're cheater readers. Okay. As a longtime advocate for communities across the city and programs and services provided by the Y, with a deep focus on childcare and youth services, as I have been annoying many of the elected officials behind me for decades. Hi, how are you? Sorry. Distracted. Easily distracted. But today I also stand here as a proud mom of four, born and raised in Queens and a person who has actually used these services to maintain my day job and to continue to provide for my family. Without pre-K and childcare, I would not be standing here. So thank you. And thank you. Childcare is what makes it possible for many of our families to thrive in the city that we love. Universal childcare makes it possible for all of our families to thrive in the city that we love, to stay here, to be here for generations, and to dig in.
(31:37)
As a provider, I appreciate the expansion of programming, increased funding, the opportunity to serve two-year-olds. Hello, how are you? But as a mom, I appreciate all of those things as well. The idea of universal year round programming is an incredible thing for New York families. I don't know about all of you, but my job does not end at the end of June and start up again in September. For those of you who that does, good for you. And just in closing, the YMCA and our many partners here in the room, Campaign for Children people. Hello. Across the sector, many of whom are here, celebrate these efforts and are ready to provide these programs across the city for families in need. So thank you so much. And next up, Siona Dawes.
Siona Dawes (32:36):
Hello, good afternoon. My name is Siona Dawes and my son attends 3K here at the YMCA. And as a working mother with a child in a 3K program, I see firsthand how extraordinarily difficult it is for families to secure high quality childcare even before considering the astronomical costs. Parents are forced to make impossible trade-offs between their careers, their finances, and their children's early development, often navigating long wait lists, inconsistent availability, and prices that rival college tuition. These challenges underscore the urgent need to make pre-K truly universal statewide, ensuring that every child, regardless of zip code, has access to strong educational foundation. New York State must also partner with New York City to launch the mayor's signature 2 care program and finally fulfill the promise of universal 3K access in the city where demand continues to far outpace supply.
(33:40)
At the same time, other counties should be supported in developing innovative childcare pilots that provide high quality affordable care to families at all income levels, recognizing that this is not solely a New York City issue. Quality childcare is critical to children's essential growth and development, and by supporting them at this formative age, we are investing in a future where today's children are empowered to become tomorrow's caregivers and leaders.
(34:08)
Finally, expanding childcare subsidies to tens of thousands of additional families is essential to easing the financial burden on working parents and strengthening the workforce. As affordable and reliable childcare is not a luxury, but a critical economic and social necessity. Thank you, Governor Hochul, for being a true champion for families and affordability, and as a working mom for understanding that when parents are supported, children thrive and communities grow. Thank you. Thank you.
Speaker 1 (34:48):
Ladies and gentlemen, let's have one more round of applause for the Governor, Mayor, Sharon and Siona. We'd also like to acknowledge Council Member Lincoln Wrestler for being here. Now, if people could please remain seated, we will be taking a photo. Please, for the photo, remain seated.
Kathy Hochul (35:09):
How are you? Thanks for coming. Who's your little one?