• A free, full-day, year round child care program for all 2 year olds in New York City.

• Eligibility criteria is simple, mirroring New York City public schools, and includes, name, date of birth, and proof of address–no further questions asked.

$1.3 billion annually at scale, which accounts for required staffing ratios for health and safety, as well as living wages for staff.

• 2-Care would serve an estimated 55,000 2-year-olds annually.

• 2-Care must give families choice among provider type, and be geographically accessible to them.

• It must also offer specialized programming for students with disabilities so that they can fully participate in 2-Care.

• Guaranteeing free child care at age 2 makes it easier for families to plan financially, as they know exactly when their child can enter into a universal public child care system.

• It creates a more seamless child care experience from ages 2 through 4, giving children consistency and ultimately helping prepare them for kindergarten.

• It’s a consistent way to keep aging the city’s universal child care system down after Pre-K and 3-K, and will get us closer to a goal of universal access.

• The affordability crisis in New York City extends far beyond families living in poverty, creating an economic burden that affects middle-class and even upper-middle-class households.

• Full-time child care for a 2-yearold in New York City costs roughly $23,400 annually—more than the cost of full-time tuition at CUNY.

• It is estimated that a household would have to make $334,000 to afford the cost of care for a two year old in New York City, “four times the median family income or the equivalent of 10 minimum wage jobs.”

• New York City alone lost $23 billion in economic activity in 2022 because parents dropped out of the workforce or cut back working hours due to child care issues1 •

• The high cost of child care is a primary driver for families leaving New York City. Families with children under the age of six are twice as likely to leave New York City.

• Providing care for 2 year olds supports them at a crucial time in their brain development

• Provider capacity must be built up to scale 2-Care effectively. This includes converting existing child care programs to participate in 2-Care, creating new capacity in child care deserts, and investing in the workforce, particularly family child care providers.

• A 4 year rollout plan should focus first on high-need districts with the most families of 2-year-olds in poverty, and then quickly expand to ensure that every borough has access based on economic need and child care capacity. Ideally New York City could roll out 2-Care over the next four years.

• By better utilizing existing state and federal funding, and using newly dedicated city tax levy and state dollars, New York City could scale up 2-Care to meet universal demand.