Zohran Mamdani apparently does think that “democratic socialism” is powered by glittery unicorn farts.

Otherwise, he should have thought about writing campaign promise checks that his butt can’t cash. The Mamdani administration promised “universal preschool” for the children of New York City. Zohran Mamdani then politically strong-armed Governor Kathy Hochul into agreeing to fund it last January, after he took office.

Earlier this month, the price tag for this expansion of “free” childcare was estimated to be a whopping $9 billion. The Lord Mayor and Governor Kathy Hochul ignored the incoming invoices as they touted this “2-K” program that was supposed to be a form of universal childcare for ages two and up.

Mamdani and Hochul announced that offers had been made to fill the 2,000 available seats, out of more than 7,500 families who applied for the first-of-its-kind free preschool program for 2-year-olds launching this fall in select neighborhoods.

But the joint press conference, at BedRock Preschool in The Bronx, came a day after the nonpartisan Center for New York City Affairs found that growing universal childcare to cover all city kids from 6 weeks old to five years old — as Mamdani has promised — would cost $9 billion annually.

That’s a far cry from the $6 billion Mamdani advertised for the initiative, according to the study, which said ramping up free childcare would require adding some 10,000 seats and hiring some 23,000 workers.

Neither Mamdani nor Hochul seemed particularly concerned with the reported cost overrun, nor with explaining how the massive gap would be closed other than levying additional taxes on the wealthy, the mayoral administration’s go-to piggy bank thus far.

Asked about the study, Hizzoner touted the “partnership” with Hochul, reminiscing about the governor allocating an extra $1.2 billion in state funding to fuel the 2-K pilot and build up existing free pre-K and 3-K programs.

After recapping the particulars of the initiatives and sharing a word-salad anecdote about parents being forced to travel miles from their home to find childcare, Mamdani finally offered an oblique answer.

“And what I mean by that is that today we have families across the city spending, as the governor said, between 20 to $40,000 a year to raise their child in the nation’s most expensive city. And this is an initiative that we are working on not just for the short term, for the medium term, but the long term to make it easier to raise that family here in New York City,” he said.

Hochul, meanwhile, downplayed the report, pledging an “independent verification” would be performed to determine the actual costs required, and dismissing the “outside study” as “not how we operate.”

After acknowledging she didn’t know the total cost of Mamdani’s universal childcare proposal, Hochul gushed that she was “excited” about the growth of the 2-K program in its early days.

It turns out that Mamdani DID find a way to cover the bills, and Hochul WAS right that the study was “not how we operate.” It turns out the way they are currently going to pay for it is… to make the childcare providers pay for it themselves! Socialism hasn’t run out of money yet, when those who are providing the service are being forced to cover the costs because the government forgets to send the checks!

Frustrated providers tasked with delivering Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s promise of universal childcare — including a new, free 2-K program — complained the city is stiffing them out of six-figure payments, forcing them to dig into their own pockets just two weeks before the start of the school year.

Scores of childcare center operators contracted by the city for 2-K, 3-K and pre-K programs griped that advance payments usually sent in August haven’t arrived, leaving them scrambling to cover supplies, staffing and other basics in order to open in time.

“If we do open up on the first day of school, I won’t have staff,” said Adrienne Bond, director of the Quick Start Daycare Center in Queens, adding she was waiting on roughly $400,000 from the city.

“Mamdani promised positive change in early childhood education, and many trusted him by electing him to office, so when is that coming? We are anxiously waiting.”

Bond said she spent $400 of her personal funds, plus maxed out $35,000 from a private after-school program, to cover expenses.

She still had to delay two paychecks for staff and, as outstanding food supplier bills loom, was anxiously awaiting an interest-free bridge loan that so far has been held up by a city Department of Education backlog.

“I’m pleading with them for the bridge loan,” she told The Post.

The delays not only threaten the debut of Mamdani’s 2-K pilot program, but also the ability of free childcare centers to open when school begins September 10.

Growing panic and hardships from the funding holdup were first reported by City & State on Tuesday, with it and The New York Times detailing providers considering fronting $90,000, taking reverse mortgages on their homes to pay expenses and asking employees to apply for unemployment.

Five city childcare providers who spoke to The Post this week, including Bond, detailed similar delays and frustrations.

One Queens childcare owner, who asked to stay anonymous, said she received a new 2-K class but the city won’t be sending her money to operate it until November.

The owner said she only got less than half of the five-figure sum she requested for a loan.

“I’m done — somebody needs to shine a light on what’s going on in this place because it’s an absolute disaster,” she said. “I have gone into my personal bank accounts, went into my 401(k), and I’m not doing it again.”

The Play Group Experience in Staten Island was still waiting on a $160,000 advance, said director Lori Cangiolose, adding that she spent $800 out of her personal bank account to prepare for September’s opening.

“We received zero funding that we usually receive in August to get us through to open,” she said.

Naturally, all of this is always someone else’s fault. Now we have people pointing fingers, and a mayor who just assumes he can simply speak things into being.

The brewing blunder has bureaucrats were keen to pass the buck.

DOE paper pushers blamed bean counters in the city comptroller’s office for allegedly not registering contracts, a box-ticking step that must be done to process payments, the Times first reported.

Comptroller’s officials fired back that the DOE hadn’t even shared the contracts yet. The office hasn’t received any 2-K contracts as of Friday, officials said.

“The start of the school year is not an unexpected event,” City Comptroller Mark Levine said in a statement.

“The city knew these contracts needed to be approved by now, and failing to get them done on time risks setting back our affordability agenda,” Levine said.

Mamdani was pressed earlier this week on the issues providers have been grappling with — including those concerned they won’t be able to open next month — but he could only repeat that “we have made this very clear that this is a top priority internally.”

Mamdani’s spokeswoman Jenna Lyle admitted the delays were “unacceptable” — but blamed former Mayor Eric Adams’ administration for cutting 600 employees tasked with establishing the city’s childcare system.

It’s not clear why the new admin didn’t address any staffing issues before rolling out the universal childcare expansion.

So, it looks like the Mamdani game plan is: announce a program, assure everyone that it will happen, not pay anyone, still expect it to happen, tell everyone that it is a “top priority,” and then blame the previous guy for making it impossible to get it done. Is everyone feeling the warmth of that collectivism yet? The childcare providers are expected to make Mamdani’s dreams of free universal childcare a reality. He just didn’t tell them that in order for it to be free, they would be WORKING for free. Surprise!

And people wonder how this stunning example of democratic socialist efficiency is going to run a single grocery store?

We’ve been watching Zohran Mamdani consistently run into the harsh rake of reality every time he tries to implement a new program. This is just yet another example of a campaign promise he can’t keep, thanks to the bureaucracy that has no idea which end is up, workers that need to be paid, and the tax dollars that are nowhere to be found. Does anyone really believe that Mamdani and his DSA lackeys can get this straightened out in less than two weeks? They’ve been advertising this since last January, and only NOW they are figuring out that the workers need to be paid?? Only people who have had their parents pay for their entire existence could be dumb enough to do this.

Featured image: original Victory Girls art by Darleen Click