NY’s quest for universal child care sounds enticing — but reality is simply unrealistic |
New York’s push for universal child care starts from a place most people understand, but making it a reality is a daunting challenge.
Yes, child care is expensive. Families are stretched.
Many parents want to work more but can’t find care that fits their schedules or budgets.
The idea that the city or state should step in is an easy sell.
Even under optimistic assumptions, however, a fully universal child-care system would cost more than $14 billion a year, permanently added to the state budget.
Mayor Mamdani’s supporters argue that shifting the cost to government would make New York more livable for families with young children, while creating new day-care jobs.
But that assumes the state can actually deliver licensed care at a huge scale to hundreds of thousands........