Three women on the insanity of childcare costs, and how Mayor Mamdani’s plan would change that

By Ann Vettikkal

The victory speech Zohran Mamdani gave the night he was elected mayor of New York City ended with a familiar call-and-response. “Together, New York, we’re going to deliver universal…,” Mamdani began. “Childcare!” the crowd shouted back. And earlier this month, just a few weeks into his tenure as mayor, Mamdani announced that 2,000 daycare spots for two-year-olds in primarily low-income parts of New York would be available in the fall, with plans to expand “2-K” universally in the next four years. 

The Meteor spoke to working parents raising young children in New York City to understand the financial, physical, and emotional costs of parenthood in an expensive city—and what Mamdani’s plan for universal childcare could mean for them.

“I just felt such an incredible sense of relief.”

—Roona Ray, a part-time healthcare worker whose wife works in costume design. They live in Jackson Heights, Queens; have a 5 year-old, 3 year-old, and 2 year-old; and currently pay $1,400 a month for childcare. 

“I actually started as a single mom by choice. And then I met my partner, and we decided to get married. My mother-in-law really helped a lot in the first few years. But then I got fired from my job when I was nine months pregnant with my third child, and that really set us in a tailspin. And I broke my foot and… I didn’t work for a long time. It was very hard to take the time to look for work, because I was just too knee-deep in parenting. It was a very stressful time. We applied for childcare vouchers and got them, so we did have some help from the state, but it took a number of trials to apply. The paperwork is very confusing.

I went back to work a couple of months ago, and it’s been a big adjustment. I think a lot of people are just running on empty all the time and that’s a very bad feeling. Luckily, I was able to find a job where I work four days a week. Our older two kids are in public 3-K and kindergarten. The youngest one is in a home daycare. So we’ve been paying for her [with] cash. We have seven more months of paying for child care…[before] we get to 3-K. 

[Accessing 2-K childcare] would be really great for us, just to save us a few months paying for child care. I think it could be really wonderful for so many parents, and just give so much relief.” 

“It actually made me feel a little bit better about having another child.”

—Nancy Keith, a scientist whose husband works in the restaurant industry. They live in Bushwick, Brooklyn, with a one-year-old, and pay $26,000 a year for childcare. 

“Luckily for me, I had pretty good maternity leave benefits, so I was able to stay with my baby for about six months. My husband took some time off of work beyond the New York parental leave. We were really trying hard to bridge the gap ourselves so that we wouldn’t have to pay for child care on a daily basis. 

I was floored when I learned how expensive child care can be annually. Even the non-fancy [daycares] are quoting so much. What we pay is on the lower end compared to other people. I feel lucky in that sense. But between rent and childcare, that’s where a lot of our money goes.

I was very excited to hear [about universal childcare], and it actually made me feel a little bit better about having another child. My husband and I are in our late 30s, and we waited a bit before we felt like we could financially be ready for a child. Even now, it’s still tough with daycare costs, and we’re both working full time. Having something like universal childcare in place would really motivate more people to not be too afraid to have kids. Knowing how much everything costs in New York, adding in a child can really impact your decisions. Knowing that there are these initiatives makes me want to stay in New York.” 

“I need a full time job so I can pay for childcare so I can find a full time job.”

—Ankita Chachra, a freelancer with a background in urban design, lives in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, with her husband, her three-year-old, and her nine-month-old. They pay approximately $60,000 a year for childcare.

“I moved to New York City in 2012. But between 2020 and 2023, we were in the Netherlands, and my son, my three-year-old, was born in the Netherlands. So I had maternity benefits and paid care leave. But we decided to move back to Brooklyn for a few reasons. One, we had a house here. Second, we just love the city. And third, we would be closer to at least my husband’s family, who’s in Chicago; my family’s in India. Sometimes the answer [to childcare gaps] is actually family and friends who are available.

We would look at our mortgage amount and then the daycare costs. And oftentimes, the daycare costs were higher than the mortgage. It was like almost having a second mortgage. We were actually really concerned when we found out that we were going to have a second child, because my husband had been on a loan forgiveness program [which was] about to expire, and those costs were going to come back up. And I was moving into freelancing; I didn’t have a paid family leave plan.

I need a full-time job so I can pay for childcare so I can find a full time job. It’s not just about having [universal] childcare. I think it’s recognizing that we need quality childcare, but we also need options, like being able to pay family and friends for the time that they’re spending. I’m excited that this is happening and that it’s being talked about. And I also like the fact that childcare finally is being [treated]—at least in some situations—as a public good.”

 

Ann Vettikkal is a recent graduate of Columbia University, where she reported on labor issues and the 2024 campus protests; edited the long-form, narrative magazine The Eye; and hosted a weekly show for the student-run radio station WKCR.