After announcing the addition of 2,000 3-K seats yesterday, Mayor Mamdani and Governor Hochul are addressing longstanding 3-K accessibility concerns and reducing average travel distance for families
Every family is encouraged to accept their offer by the deadline listed in their offer letter
Today, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani, Governor Kathy Hochul and Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels announced that the City has extended 99,921 offers for 3-K and Pre-K for the upcoming school year, with more families receiving offers to one of their top choice programs and average travel distances decreasing across the city.
On day eight of this Administration, Mayor Mamdani and Governor Kathy Hochul announced the City’s first steps toward universal child care, announcing the launch of 2-K, expansion of Pre-K and an aggressive focus on expanding 3-K access so families could find care in their own neighborhoods. Those efforts, made possible by a more than $1.2 billion investment from the state to support early childhood care and education, have already resulted in more families receiving offers to their preferred 3-K program and fewer families ending up on waitlists.
Fewer families this year received placements at programs they did not rank on their applications. For those 3-K families, the average distance between home and program decreased by .85 miles, or approximately 17 city blocks. That distance is expected to decrease further as families express interest in the additional 3-K seats added by the City, including more than 700 new seats announced yesterday that will be available through the waitlist process.
“Every child deserves a strong start, and every parent deserves to know their child has a safe, high-quality place to learn and grow,” said Governor Hochul. “Today’s announcement ensures more families are able to access the 3-K opportunities they want, and provides universal 3-K and Pre-K to 100,000 families across New York City, giving more parents access to affordable child care in their own communities and setting up the next generation for success. I’m proud to partner with Mayor Mamdani to deliver for New Yorkers across all five boroughs.”
“Today’s announcement marks a new era for child care in New York City – one where families can trust that government will deliver for them,” said Mayor Mamdani. “Across the five boroughs, families are traveling shorter distances, more children are receiving offers to their top-choice programs, and fewer parents are being forced to choose between unaffordable private care and leaving the city they love. This is what government excellence looks like.”
“Our young children are the future, and New York City’s future just got brighter,” said Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels. “I am deeply grateful to Mayor Mamdani and Governor Hochul for their leadership in this work, and the dedication of our community partners who ensure our families are seen, supported, and served. Because of this collective effort we are putting nearly 100,000 children on a path to success close to home.”
This year, the percentage of families receiving their top 3-K choice increased from 65% to 70%, while the percentage receiving one of their top three 3-K choices increased from 80% to 84%.
While every family received a seat offer, the percentage of families receiving placements at programs not listed on their application decreased from 15% to 12%, helping ensure more families received offers they could realistically accept.
Last year, 720 families received 3-K offers outside their home borough, with most placements located more than three miles from home. This year, fewer than 200 families received out-of-borough offers, and all placements are within three miles from home. Many of those families will also have an opportunity to receive an close-to-home placements through the waitlist process following the more than 700 newly available 3-K seats.
These historic gains follow the administration’s first steps to rebuild the City’s child care outreach system and reach families too often left behind by government. That work will continue through the Mamdani administration’s commitment to baseline $5 million annually for outreach and engagement. The administration has also committed new funding to strengthen agency staffing and provide more comprehensive support for families and providers.
In April, the Mayor joined New York City public school students to open seven previously vacant child care sites, creating 240 new 3-K seats. That announcement followed the administration’s addition of more than 1,000 new 3-K seats across 56 zip codes, now more than 2,000, as well as the opening of a previously vacant child care center on the Upper East Side. Yesterday, Mayor Mamdani announced that the City had doubled those efforts, adding 2,000 3-K seats across all five boroughs and confirming that the City’s ninth new child care center will open this fall in Columbia Waterfront.
The offers extended today are preliminary. Families will have the opportunity to express interest in additional programs over the coming weeks.
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