Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani is promising that every child care center inside NYCHA developments will be permanently lead free by this fall, putting more than $10 million on the table to get it done and using the Johnson Houses daycare in East Harlem as the city’s showcase site. The push zeroes in on public housing child care spaces, where long running worries about lead paint, dust and other hazards have put the city’s youngest residents at risk.
Every child care center in the city needs to be safe, high-quality, and hazard-free -- like Johnson Houses Daycare in East Harlem. New York City children deserve nothing less.
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) July 24, 2026
That is why our administration is making sure every single NYCHA child care center is permanently… pic.twitter.com/3Tzodz2q1l
Mayor’s promise and who’s involved
In a post on X, Mamdani pledged to “make every single NYCHA child care center permanently lead free this fall” and described what he called an aggressive inspection and abatement plan. The post highlighted the Johnson Houses daycare in East Harlem as the model and noted that Deputy Mayor Leila Bozorg and Emmy Liss met with NYCHA staff and child care providers there to map out the work. City & State has profiled both Bozorg and Liss as key members of the Mamdani administration’s leadership team.
Johnson Houses example and provider concerns
The Johnson Houses complex has long hosted an early childhood program, and local listings identify the Union Johnson Early Learning center at the development. Manhattan Preschools lists Union Johnson Early Childhood Programs as operating in East Harlem. Providers and advocates say that while lead abatement is non negotiable, heavy duty remediation can temporarily shut down classrooms and cut available seats if the work is not carefully staged. Previous reporting has flagged peeling paint, mold and other safety issues at NYCHA affiliated child care centers, conditions documented by Chalkbeat.
How NYCHA handles lead work now
NYCHA currently runs lead inspections and abatement through its Team for Enhanced Management, Planning, and Outreach, known as TEMPO. The unit prioritizes apartments and common areas where children under six live or visit regularly and coordinates relocation and remediation when needed. According to the city’s 2025 Lead Compliance Report, NYCHA had abated more than 13,000 units as of March 31, 2025, and is working under a timeline negotiated with HUD to speed up testing and cleanup. The report and its benchmarks are outlined through NYC.gov.
What to expect this fall
Officials say the coming fall phase will home in on child care classrooms and shared spaces rather than broad apartment overhauls. Families and providers at NYCHA sites should expect written notices and staggered scheduling as crews move from campus to campus. The administration is framing the effort as both a public health mandate and part of a larger attempt to accelerate basic repairs across NYCHA developments.
Local elected officials and provider groups are already stressing that clear timelines, short term space options and money for replacement seats will be essential to keep children from being pushed out during construction. “Every child care center in the city needs to be safe, high quality, and hazard free,” Mamdani wrote, adding that New York children “deserve nothing less.” His promise, laid out in that X post, now turns on whether NYCHA and the Mayor’s Office can deliver firm rollout dates and detailed notices for each development.
