B-Roll, Video, Audio, Photos & Rush Transcript: Governor Hochul and Mayor Mamdani Launch New York City’s Free 2-K Program
Governor Kathy Hochul today joined New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and New York City Public Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels to launch New York City’s free 2-K program. For the first time, more than 2,000 two-year-olds across the city are starting free, high-quality, full-day care made possible by Governor Hochul’s initial $73 million investment to stand up the program. The state’s investment in 2-K is expected to grow to $425 million by 2027, which will help bring thousands more seats online.
B-ROLL of the Governor launching 2-K on the first day of school in New York City is available to stream on YouTube here and TV quality video is available here (h.264, mp4).
VIDEO: The event is available to stream on YouTube here and TV quality video is available here (h.264, mp4).
AUDIO: The Governor's remarks are available in audio form here.
PHOTOS: The Governor’s Flickr page will post photos of the event here.
A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:
Thank you, Mayor. It is so great to be here today. As a parent, it brings back memories of — yes, I was that parent who had to drop my kids off the first day of school and had to pull over a block away because I was sobbing so hard. And they weren't crying — I was a little surprised. I was the one who was emotionally distraught over that day.
But this is an extraordinary day. You cannot underestimate what this day means to thousands of New York City parents who cannot believe this gift they've been given. The fact that they don't have to worry about the expense of early childhood education or a childcare provider, that their children, 2,000 kids starting today, are in a safe, nurturing, loving environment. So to lift that burden off of parents, I know what that's like, and I'm so proud to stand here with the mayor.
And I would say there are those who one year ago never could have envisioned this happening. One year ago. Look what has transpired over this incredible year. It took an election, and it took a partnership, and I'm really proud that we could team up together here, Mayor, with you and our Chancellor Samuels and all those who are involved in this whole ecosystem of delivering even more for families in New York City and across New York State.
So we got it done. We got it done. But we're not resting on our laurels. This is 2,000 families. This is sort of the early days, the experimental stage. Of course, there's always bugs to work out. Nothing happens that you finally get funded just this past spring, months later, here we are. But next year, beyond the $73 million dollars the state did, I am committed to $425 million dollars of next year's budget to make sure we can have even more families participate in this.
And we'll keep it going. You don't start something this incredible and stop it. And my commitment to all over New York — we've spent already $12 billion on childcare and early education programs for our kids. We did $4 billion this year alone, $1.2 billion for the great City of New York, and we are expanding the 3-K program here, across New York. But there are even places in New York State that do not have a 4-K program. Not even yet. And I'm guaranteeing that there'll be a slot for every child in the next two years for our universal program across the state.
So I'm really excited to be here. I see the parents, and the little kids, the little two-year-olds, little girl named Luna — I just couldn't let go of her, maybe she couldn't let go of me. Is Luna here? Hi, Luna. Hi, sweetie. That's my new little buddy. Mom, can I take her home with me? Like my little comfort child, when things get rough, I'm just gonna hug Luna. That's what you get from kids, unconditional love.
But this is government at its best. This is government responding to the needs of families and parents. And I've always said, "Your family is my fight." My fight today is for kids like Luna and all of her new classmates and her soon-to-be-made friends and the teachers who make this magic happen. So I want to thank everyone at Mamá Tingó and everyone who's part of the whole ecosystem. To all of our teachers, God bless you. You're doing God's work here on Earth, and we are so incredibly grateful. So let's keep it going, everyone. Welcome to the first day of school here in New York City. Thank you.
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