New York City will issue vouchers to more than 10,000 children on the waitlist for the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP). The state is investing $1.2 billion in New York City child care, and the city will eliminate copayments for families that receive vouchers.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the city's Administration for Children's Services (ACS) announced on Oct. 5 that they will issue vouchers to more than 10,000 children on the waitlist for the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP). The vouchers pay the cost of the child care provider a family chooses. They cover children from 6 weeks to 13 years old, and up to age 19 for children who need special education services.
The state and the city are sharing the cost. Gov. Kathy Hochul has committed $1.2 billion to New York City child care, of which $475 million will go toward vouchers. Separately, the city will spend $5.2 million to eliminate the copayments that families receiving vouchers had been paying.
Under federal rules, ACS will give priority to families with incomes below 300% of the federal poverty level, families experiencing homelessness and families with children who need special education services. Families on the waitlist will be notified in stages and will receive instructions on how to apply over the next few weeks. The city said the notifications will continue over the coming months, and it did not disclose the exact start date or the application deadline.
Providers that accept vouchers can be found on the city's child care map (nyc.gov/childcare). Users can search for licensed providers and filter by whether they accept vouchers. The city also runs a separate free child care program for 2-year-olds, called 2-K.