New York Mayor Mamdani announced on the 19th that the early education center for 3-year-old (3-K) and 4-year-old (Pre-K) classes in the Second School District located on East 65th Street in the Upper East Side of Manhattan will officially open this fall, adding more than 130 early education slots. The city government stated that this move is in response to the long-standing shortage of preschool education slots in the area and is a part of the efforts to promote universal childcare policies.
This facility was first announced in 2022, completed in July last year, but was not put into use during the previous administration. Mayor Mamdani stated during a press conference that the building had been vacant for a long time despite clear community demand, and the current city government decided to prioritize its use to enhance the supply of early education slots.
According to city government data, the center will provide 63 slots for 3-year-old classes and 72 slots for 4-year-old Pre-K classes. The city government mentioned that after the facility is operational, the capacity for 4-year-old Pre-K classes within the 10065 zip code area will more than double, and the capacity for 3-year-old classes will increase to four times the original size. This is also the first standalone city-operated early childhood education center in this zip code.
Mayor Mamdani stated that the city government’s goal is to gradually achieve “universal childcare” through expanding early education slots. He pointed out that childcare costs are one of the significant factors affecting whether families stay in New York City. The city government estimates that the preschool and Pre-K programs could save eligible families over $20,000 in expenses annually.
Manhattan Borough President Hoylman-Siegel mentioned that in the past decade, around 110,000 children under the age of five have moved out of New York City with their families, citing inadequate childcare resources as one of the reasons. Council Speaker Menin stated that the community has advocated for the opening of this center for many years, believing that it will provide more affordable options for local families.
The new available slots will be included in the city-wide unified application system, and the deadline for applications is the 27th of this month. The city government emphasizes that admission is not on a first-come, first-served basis, and all applications submitted before the deadline will be reviewed based on the same criteria. Families who have already submitted applications can modify their preferences before the deadline.
At the same time, the city government has launched a city-wide promotional campaign to increase participation in applications through LinkNYC multilingual advertisements, ethnic media, and collaboration with community organizations. Officials stated that over 50,000 households have already completed applications.
In addition to 3-K and Pre-K, with financial support from Governor Hochul, the New York City government announced the launch of the “2-Year-Old Free Childcare Program” (2-K) for the first time this fall, benefiting an initial 2,000 toddlers.
The city government is facing pressure from budget imbalances and needs to prioritize expenditures amidst financial constraints. Officials mentioned that the decision to further expand related programs will depend on the budget review results.