‘$36,000 a year?’ Is Mamdani forcing NYC parents to pay sky-high private preschool fees?

New York City’s push to expand free childcare under Zohran Mamdani and Kathy Hochul is colliding with rising private preschool costs, as providers hike fees amid wage pressures and competition for staff. While public programmes aim to ease affordability, families outside the system face escalating expenses in an already costly and unequal childcare market.