There’s a lot of doom and gloom in the news, so leave it to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to add a little levity to the headlines.
On Feb. 5, 2026, Mamdani held a press conference with other city officials to announce an RFI (request for information) and detail aspects of his plan to expand access to child care in New York City. Joining Mamdani on stage were kids from the city’s District 2 pre-k center. Around the same time that Mamdani called his plan “critical in making universal childcare a reality,” a boy from the center squirmed his way in front of the camera and whooped intelligibly.
Mamdani, thinking fast on his feet, responded, “That’s how I felt when we came up with this plan, woo woo woo.” He added, “Together, we will expand the idea of what is possible in our city—and what sounds and noises we can make at a press conference.”
Mamdani’s NYC universal childcare plan
Mamdani: We will also work to welcome more family- and home-based childcare providers into our programs.
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 6, 2026
Child at the podium: “A woo woo woo.”
Mamdani: That’s how I felt when we came up with this plan. Together, we will expand the idea of what is possible in our city—and what… pic.twitter.com/fMClj9Tosk
Along with the cute incident, the mayor emphasized that high child care costs have been forcing families out of the city and pushing parents, especially mothers, out of the workforce. According to the New York Mayor’s Office, the new RFI, launched that day, marks the first time in five years that new providers are invited to participate in offering 3-K services.
As AM New York reports, it begins the rollout of the city’s 2-K program, or free child care for two-year-olds initially in targeted neighborhoods, with plans to grow to citywide universal access over time. The administration has said it expects to add about 2,000 seats this fall, with a larger expansion in subsequent years.
The RFI for 2‑K and 3‑K programs invites child care providers to share with the city how they could help run the programs, what resources they’d need, and what challenges they foresee.
Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels, who stood beside Mamdani, underscored that the city is taking a “thoughtful approach,” balancing urgency with community input and planning to support educators and providers who will make the expanded system work.
This initiative builds on a broader partnership between Mamdani and New York Governor Kathy Hochul to invest in early childhood programs. Earlier in January, they announced a plan to launch free child care for two-year-olds and expand access to affordable care statewide — including extending pre-K and 3-K offerings — as part of efforts to help working families and address the high cost of living in New York.
Advocates have praised the plan as a historic step toward universal child care, though some analysts and commentators stress that success will depend not only on expanding access but also on strengthening the child care workforce and ensuring quality.
