OneNYC Calls for Bold Action to Fix NYC's Child Care Crisis as Costs Soar and Families Leave the City

With New York at a moment of civic choice and debate about the city's future, a new report urges leaders to put childcare at the center of any plan to make life affordable again.

NEW YORK, Nov. 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A new report from OneNYC Action Inc., Caring for the Future: Universal Child Care in NYC Through Innovation and Partnership, warns that New York's affordability crisis is hitting working parents hard. The average cost of infant care has climbed to $26,000 a year—up 43% since 2019. As costs rise, the city has lost 17% of its children under five and the childcare workforce has fallen 32%, creating what the report calls "a slow-motion economic emergency."

The report outlines practical steps to fix New York's childcare system: pay educators a fair wage, streamline the rules that block new centers, support families who provide care at home, and create reliable funding through payroll or estate taxes. These actions, it says, are the foundation for a universal system that makes quality care affordable for every family.

The report also highlights three areas where New York can lead with innovation and public private partnerships:

• A Shared Investment Model: Employers, workers, and the city each cover part of the cost so childcare becomes a normal workplace benefit.
  
  
• A Child Care Facilities Fund: Use empty buildings to create affordable childcare centers and bring life back to neighborhoods.
  
  
• Employer-Sponsored Care Networks: Let companies reserve or help pay for nearby childcare spots so parents have reliable local options.

"As a mother and a public-health scientist, I've seen how the lack of affordable childcare pushes families and workers to the breaking point," said Syra Madad, Epidemiologist and Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School. "Universal, zero-fee childcare would stabilize families, lift women's employment, and make New York healthier and more resilient."

"Childcare shows how innovation can serve the public good," said Zia Khan, Executive Director of OneNYC Inc. "By combining government leadership with business investment and civic creativity, we can build a modern care system that strengthens families, supports employers, and secures New York's future."

Models in New Mexico and Vermont show that universal care works when funding is shared and goals are clear. New York can do the same by building new systems, not expanding old ones.

Read the full Caring for the Future report at: https://onenyc.com/reports/careaffordability and join the conversation using #InnovateForAffordability. OneNYC urges policymakers, business leaders, and community advocates to help pilot these solutions and make New York livable again.

Disclaimer

Issued by OneNYC Action Inc., a 501(c)(4) organization, this release is for issue-advocacy and public education only and is not authorized by any candidate or campaign.

SOURCE OneNYC Action Inc.