Warren, Mamdani Team Up to Call for Universal Child Care as Essential “Basic Infrastructure” in New USA Today Op-Ed

Warren, Mamdani Team Up to Call for Universal Child Care as Essential "Basic Infrastructure" in New USA Today Op-Ed

"With universal child care, we can transform our economy, transform the lives of parents and children, and transform how Americans see government."

Op-Ed in USA Today

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani published a new op-ed in USA Today calling for the Democratic party to commit to making universal child care a central part of its platform.

The pair highlighted that investments in child care would have enormous economic benefits, with an estimated return of $13 for every dollar spent on early childhood care.

"[I]t will be felt when our economy is energized by parents who can stay in their jobs, by businesses that can attract and retain top talent who might otherwise be priced out of this city, and by an increase in economic activity to the tune of tens of billions of dollars," Warren and Mamdani wrote.

They highlighted that the push for universal child care is already underway in New Mexico and Quebec, Canada, with the latter program resulting in a 13 percent increase in women's participation in the workforce.

"The case for universal child care is overwhelming. It's the kind of investment Wall Street would tout," they wrote.

They also called for paying child care workers a living wage.

"By committing to build child care infrastructure, we also have an opportunity to invest in child care workers and to ensure that they are paid commensurate with their training and experience…We invest in firefighters and road maintenance crews by paying a living wage; we should make the same investments in people who care for our babies," Warren and Mamdani wrote.

"We should not have to dust off history books to find examples of the Democratic Party leading with courage and ambition. With universal child care, we can transform our economy, transform the lives of parents and children, and transform how Americans see government. We're in the fight to get it done," they concluded.

Read the full op-ed here and below:

Mayor Mamdani, Sen. Warren: Everyone benefits from universal childcare
March 18, 2026

The two of us live very different lives. One of us is a grandmother to three exceptional grandchildren. The other receives near-daily phone calls from his mother asking when the grandchildren will arrive.

And yet, despite those differences, we share a simple conviction: every family in New York City -and in America-has a right to child care.

In January, New York City announced a historic new investment in universal child care. Through a partnership struck between City Hall and Governor Kathy Hochul, free, universal child care will soon be expanded to every two and three-year-old across the five boroughs. Even for a city that constantly reinvents itself, this is a seismic shift.

It will be felt in the lives of children who grow up happier and healthier, with kids who attend preschool, now nearly 6% more likely to attend college. It will be felt by families who suddenly have an additional $20,000 or more per year-per child-in their pockets.

And it will be felt when our economy is energized by parents who can stay in their jobs, by businesses that can attract and retain top talent who might otherwise be priced out of this city, and by an increase in economic activity to the tune of tens of billions of dollars.

The case for universal child care is overwhelming. It's the kind of investment Wall Street would tout: every dollar spent on early childhood care can return as much as $13. It restores the workforce. After Quebec introduced universal child care, women's participation in the workforce increased by 13%.

And it addresses one of the greatest threats to our economy: families being pushed out of the places they call home.

Child care isn't just care. It's basic infrastructure, as essential to a thriving society as roads, bridges, and public transit-the foundation upon which a vibrant, flourishing society can be built.

The change New York City will soon experience is already underway in New Mexico, which launched a groundbreaking universal child care program last November. But this progress shouldn't be limited only to states that begin with 'New.' Every family-from Alaska to Florida-deserves the same opportunity.

If we want to protect the American Dream, we begin with child care.

Affordable child care means parents are no longer forced to choose between raising their children and keeping their jobs. It means better outcomes for kids. And frankly, for all of us.

By committing to build child care infrastructure, we also have an opportunity to invest in child care workers and to ensure that they are paid commensurate with their training and experience. Currently, these workers are caught in a squeeze: wages are inadequate, but parents cannot afford to pay more. The result is that nearly 60 percent of child care centers are short-staffed. We invest in firefighters and road maintenance crews by paying a living wage; we should make the same investments in people who care for our babies.

In fact, universal child care may be one of the most powerful tools we have to make life more affordable for American families.

As the Democratic Party heads into the midterms-before gearing up for a historic Presidential contest in 2028-we should build our platform around policies that are both incredibly popular across party lines and materially improve working people's lives. Americans have been clear about their biggest concern: affordability.

Universal child care answers that concern directly. For decades, the Republican Party has championed a trickle-down economic theory that enriches billionaires, deepens inequality, drives up inflation, and leaves working families in the dirt. It's time for a different approach, one that puts a dignified life within reach by investing public dollars to improve the lives of working people.

That's what it actually means to spread prosperity. And that is exactly what universal child care does.

At its best, government makes people's lives better.

When Franklin D. Roosevelt enacted the New Deal, government made people's lives better. When Lyndon B. Johnson pursued the Great Society, government made people's lives better.

When New York City delivers free, universal child care, government will once again make people's lives better.

But when the government hands out more tax cuts to millionaires and billionaires, it improves life for only a handful of the richest people in this country-while making life harder for millions more.

We should not have to dust off history books to find examples of the Democratic Party leading with courage and ambition. With universal child care, we can transform our economy, transform the lives of parents and children, and transform how Americans see government. We're in the fight to get it done.

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