New York City is moving more than 10,000 children off the waitlist for Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) vouchers and will cover their child care at no cost. Over the coming months, the city's Administration for Children's Services (ACS) will notify waitlisted families in phases and invite them to apply.
New York City will provide free child care to more than 10,000 children on the waitlist for the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), the city's child care voucher program. Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the city's Administration for Children's Services (ACS) announced the plan on Oct. 5. The program covers low-income children from 6 weeks to 13 years old, and up to age 19 for children who need special education.
The funding comes from $475 million for vouchers, part of the $1.2 billion Gov. Kathy Hochul has allocated to the city's free child care initiative. Over the next few weeks, ACS will invite waitlisted households to apply for vouchers, with invitations continuing in phases over the following months. Once eligibility is confirmed, families will receive a voucher they can use at the child care provider of their choice.
Priorities and What's Changed
Under federal rules, ACS will first prioritize households with income at or below 300% of the federal poverty line, households experiencing homelessness and households with children who need special education. Separately, the city has spent $5.2 million to eliminate copayments for all households receiving vouchers.
The city's child care map and website (nyc.gov/childcare) now include a new feature that filters results to show only licensed providers that accept vouchers. Previously, families had to call each provider to ask whether it accepted vouchers. The move follows "2-K," the city's free universal child care program for 2-year-olds.
At the announcement, a state Assembly member said about 29,000 low-income children have been waiting for more than a year. The remaining waitlisted families will continue to wait, and calls for full funding of CCAP continue in the city and the state Legislature.