Menin And Mamdani Could Find Common Ground On Child Care Push

NEW YORK — Democratic socialist Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and moderate presumptive City Council Speaker Julie Menin are seemingly on an ideological collision course. But free child care is emerging as one issue area they might potentially align on.

Putting the city on a path to universal child care, a popular but expensive program, has been a top legislative priority for Menin. Mamdani made free child care for children 6 weeks to 5 years old a central plank of his affordability-focused campaign.

“There is a real alignment on those issues,” Menin told POLITICO, pointing out that discussions with Mamdani’s team are already underway. “One of the things that we really need to focus on is certainly going to Albany to focus on funding for universal child care, but also looking at the city level and where we can work on some city aspects and resources as well.”

But the obstacles are formidable: The average cost of infant and toddler care in New York is roughly $26,000 annually. That adds up to a $6 billion price tag at a time when the city and state are facing big budget shortfalls and federal funding turbulence from the Trump administration. It will also require hiring tens of thousands of workers, a formidable challenge in a low-wage sector. And some 10,000 low-income families are already on a waitlist for child care vouchers.

“It is very ambitious and it will be a big lift to get New York to have universal child care,” said Grace Rauh, executive director of the good government group Citizens Union and a transition member. “Because this will be such a big policy lift, we are going to need senior leaders in government at every level working together to make it a reality.”

Gov. Kathy Hochul has also vowed to work with Mamdani to make it happen statewide. And 10 lawmakers and advocates who have been pushing for universal child care told POLITICO they see an opening to make progress.

In a statement, Mamdani said universal child care is a key part of his affordability agenda.

"I look forward to partnering with incoming Speaker Menin and Governor Hochul to deliver universal childcare and build a truly affordable New York City for working families,” he said.

Hochul is in conversation with both teams, according to an individual familiar with the governor’s thinking who was granted anonymity to speak freely about sensitive discussions.

Brooklyn Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez, who previously introduced a bill similar to what Mamdani is proposing, pointed to advocacy groups closely monitoring how early childhood education is funded as a sign that progress is possible.

“There will be less friction,” Gutiérrez said. “There’s been a groundswell of community organizing that I think will impact that as well.”

A joint working group created by the Adams administration and the City Council composed of roughly two dozen people has been effective, though work remains, Gutiérrez added.

Gutiérrez — along with Council Education Chair Rita Joseph and Deputy Mayor Ana Almanzar — are part of it, as are representatives from the Department of Education, the city’s Office of Management and Budget and the speaker’s office

It remains to be seen whether the relationship between Mamdani and Menin will mirror or diverge from the tense dynamic between Mayor Eric Adams and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who bears no relation to the outgoing mayor. Following years of clashes over preschool funding cuts, the mayor eventually allocated permanent funding for early childhood education and agreed to a free child care pilot.

In some ways, Menin — a moderate Democrat and pro-Israel lawmaker — is an ideological foil to Mamdani. The mayor-elect is a fierce Israel critic and democratic socialist who represents the city’s ascendant left, and her supporters see her as a check on the incoming mayor.

But she has signaled a willingness to work with him on his larger affordability agenda that includes building affordable housing and enacting universal child care.

Child care obstacles

The free child care movement has picked up steam in recent years in part due to increased organizing by parents who turned the issue into a political vulnerability for elected officials.

Adams agreed to a $10 million pilot for families with children up to age 2. That came after pushback from lawmakers as well as organizing from New Yorkers United for Child Care, a nonprofit formed in late 2023 to oppose Adams’ preschool cuts.

Former schools Chancellor David Banks said that it’s “critically important” to have ongoing communication between top city officials.

“It’s not doable if you’re not working together hand in hand with the Council,” Banks said. “That was absolutely one of the shortcomings of Mayor Adams — too much ego, too many things got in the way.”

His successor, Melissa Aviles-Ramos — who’s seeking to remain as chancellor under Mamdani — called for a thorough needs assessment of the early childhood system and all agencies involved.

“I absolutely think that it is possible and I think that it is urgent that we pay attention to this and we give every single child a high-quality foundation because that feeds into the K-12 system,” Aviles-Ramos said in an interview. “I look forward to speaking more with [Mamdani] about that so we can enhance what we’ve already started.”

Mamdani told reporters during a child care center visit Thursday that his schools chancellor will have a key role in helping to roll out universal child care.

Menin and Mamdani will have their work cut out for them.

Infant and toddler care demands more resources than preschool programs because younger children require more staff and one-on-one support. Child care centers also have to be located on the ground floor, often the most expensive real estate.

Advocates frequently emphasize the need to raise salaries to attract and retain staff — as universal child care will necessitate a massive influx of workers.

The city will need at least 30,000 additional child care workers and a minimum of 5,000 new early childhood educators annually to fill typical vacancies and keep up with demand, according to a report released Wednesday by the Day Care Council of New York.

“Simultaneous to expansion, we have to focus on the challenges of operating programs, services — whether it be in centers or homes, we have to tackle those challenges first,” said Tara Gardner, the organization’s executive director and a transition member. “We can grow it but we have to ensure that the workforce is there to meet the needs.”

Menin’s record

In 2022, the Council passed five Menin-sponsored child care bills, all signed into law by Adams. The administration implemented two — creating an electronic child care directory and a portal detailing available subsidies — but others remain only partially enacted, Menin said.

The centerpiece of her agenda, a bill to create a child care advisory board and set the city on a path to universal child care within five years, stalled, for example. The board met late in 2023 and later issued a report in January that Menin said failed to offer guidance on crucial issues.

“Other colleagues have had other bills on child care, so we've done a tremendous amount of work on this but now we have this opportunity to partner with the incoming administration to enact true universal child care,” she said.

Menin pledged to continue the Adams administration’s $10 million pilot. She said she also plans to tackle late payments to providers and the wave of child care center closures in recent years.

Liz Garcia, a City Hall spokesperson, said the administration has implemented or is in the process of implementing the laws. The child care advisory board will release its second report by year’s end, she said.

“As a part of Mayor Adams’ legacy, our administration was proud to put New York City on the path to universal child care for low-income families,” she said in a statement.

City and state powers

There’s also the thorny question of how the state will fund universal child care. Implementing it statewide would cost $15 billion.

Mamdani has called for raising taxes on wealthy New Yorkers and corporations, though he’s open to exploring other funding sources. Hochul, who remains opposed to raising personal income taxes, is now leaving the door open to raising corporate tax rates.

Menin declined to state her position when asked whether she supports Mamdani’s proposed tax hikes.

"That will obviously be a conversation with the governor and with the legislative leaders,” she said. “We need to be really creative and think outside of the box and look at all options."

Dora Pekec, a transition spokesperson, called the Council’s $10 million investment for infant and toddler care a “good first step” and signaled the administration’s plans to build on it.

“The Transition Team is currently focusing on designing the program, including the approach to rollout,” Pekec said in a statement.

The Council released a report last month with suggestions, including more state funding and extended-day seats for low-income families.

Bronx Council Member Kevin Riley, who sponsored the universal child care bill alongside Gutiérrez, anticipates that Mamdani and Menin will take a more proactive approach.

“We’re going to see an administration working together to figure out how we can make child care, 3K and education more efficient for everybody,” Riley said.

Rebecca Bailin, executive director of New Yorkers United for Child Care — another transition member — contended that much could be accomplished at the city level alone.

“The first thing is using the bully pulpit at the budget hearings, her bully pulpit in those budget negotiations to say fully funding 3K and making sure every parent who applies gets a seat and start getting the ball rolling on funding 2 Care,” Bailin said, referring to her group’s push to provide child care for 2-year-olds.

Other lawmakers cautioned that universal child care stands to have ripple effects.

“The same providers who run early childhood programs are the same providers who are running after-school, who’s running … workforce development,” Bronx Council Member Althea Stevens said. “If you build out one part of the system, it also hurts the workforce in the other one.”

Emily Ngo contributed to this report.