New York City is launching its first free, on-site child care program for municipal workers, offering support to workers with children as young as six weeks old.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the pilot initiative on March 30, 2026, alongside officials from the Department of Citywide Administrative Services. The facility will be located inside the David N. Dinkins Municipal Building in Lower Manhattan.
The 4,000-square-foot center is expected to serve up to 40 children between the ages of six weeks and three years. It will offer extended hours, operating through the summer until 6 p.m., to better accommodate working parents.
City officials say the program is part of a broader push to expand access to early childhood care, an issue that has become increasingly central in urban workforce policy. Mamdani, who campaigned on expanding universal child care, described the initiative as a first step toward that goal.
“Change begins at home,” the mayor said in a statement, adding that public servants should be included in efforts to make child care more accessible across the city.
The pilot program builds on groundwork started under former Mayor Eric Adams, when the idea was first introduced for employees within the Department of Citywide Administrative Services. The current plan expands eligibility to all municipal workers based in the Dinkins Building, with the potential to extend access to DCAS employees across multiple worksites in the future.
The project will require an estimated $10 million in renovations, with completion expected by the fall. More than 2,000 city employees across multiple agencies work in the building, making it a central hub for the rollout.
Applications for the program are set to open on April 30, with enrollment decisions expected in June.
Officials say the pilot could serve as a model for broader citywide child care expansion if successful, particularly for infants and toddlers, who typically require more resources and specialized care than older children.
