NEW YORK, NY - Today, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani announced that the NYC Health Department would receive a $20 million investment over three years for the groundbreaking Strong Foundations initiative as part of the Fiscal Year 2026 Budget. Strong Foundations will expand eligibility for the NYC Nurse-Family Partnership (NYC-NFP) to include parents with more than one child and allow enrollment later in pregnancy. As part of the three-year investment, the NYC Health Department will connect more families to visits from registered nurses that support healthy pregnancies and provide mental health resources for parents and young children while growing the mental health workforce. The funding will also expand training and workforce opportunities for early childhood mental health professionals, by establishing a three-year fellowship to develop a pipeline of clinicians with perinatal and early childhood experience.
"The cost-of-living crisis hits New York City families well before the birth of their kids, which is why our administration is stepping up assistance through Strong Foundations. All parents deserve access to high-quality prenatal and perinatal care, and today's announcement will ensure that all New Yorkers, and particularly those who face structural barriers to care, are provided with the resources they need at the very beginning of their child's life," said Mayor Mamdani.
"The Mamdani administration is making good on its commitment to provide assistance to as many New York City families as possible. As a mother who has raised four children in New York, I understand the struggles that come with pregnancy, childbirth and infancy - and I know that far too many cannot access the care they need to navigate these experiences," said NYC Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Dr. Helen Arteaga. "Today, I am excited that this initiative, which has helped tens of thousands of parents throughout the city, will connect even more families to registered nurses, increase access to mental health care and grow training and workforce opportunities for early childhood staff. Through the Strong Foundations initiative, we are delivering another win to working families by providing comprehensive, high-quality health care where it was previously unavailable."
"The health of our youngest New Yorkers begins with the wellness of their parents and caregivers," said NYC Health Department Commissioner Dr. Alister Martin. "As a parent and the son of a Nurse-Family Partnership nurse, I know the benefits of high quality care and mental health support firsthand. Strong Foundations will enable us to reduce barriers and reach more expecting parents with individualized, compassionate care provided by dedicated nurses and mental health professionals."
"ACS is proud to be working with the Health Department to ensure more NYC families have access to the support they need to thrive. We know that parenting, especially a newborn, is stressful. We also know that children's earliest days provide foundation that impacts their lives in profound ways. This investment provides hands-on, destigmatized support to reduce stress and increase attachment so parents and their children can thrive," Luisa Linares, Deputy Commissioner of the Family Services Division at the NYC Administration for Children's Services (ACS).
Through Strong Foundations, nurses will receive additional training to serve more New York families and distribute additional supplies such as pack and plays, diapers and developmental toys.
This initiative will also support expanded capacity and staffing at the Health Department's Perinatal and Early Childhood Mental Health (P+ECMH) Network clinics and invest in workforce development by funding specialized mental health certification for 20 practitioners annually and establishing a three-year fellowship program for new graduates to develop a pipeline of staff with the skills to support families with young children.
For more than 20 years, NYC-NFP has supported more than 25,000 expecting parents with a registered nurse through pregnancy, childbirth and through the child's second birthday. The program prioritizes families who face structural barriers to care, including Medicaid enrollees, families involved in the foster care, child welfare or criminal justice system, and those facing housing instability. Clients report higher rates of breastfeeding, on-time childhood immunizations and improved economic self-sufficiency.
