Two-year-olds in School District 27 will be among the first to receive free 2-K seats this fall, Mayor Mamdani and Gov. Hochul announced March 3, with 2,000 2-K seats coming to the city overall.
City Hall called the move a “major step” toward universal childcare for kids six weeks to five years of age.
First announced just over a week into Mamdani’s administration, 2-K is a cornerstone of the mayor’s universal childcare initiative, City Hall said. The program will provide free childcare for 2-year-olds in New York City to any family who needs it, regardless of ZIP code, income or immigration status.
The program is expected to expand to full universality within four years, City Hall said.
D27 is one of four communities to receive 2-K seats, but the only in Queens. The others are School District 6 in Manhattan; District 10 in the Bronx; and Districts 18 and 23 in Brooklyn.
D27 encompasses Ozone Park, South Ozone Park, Richmond Hill, Woodhaven, Howard Beach and the Rockaways, as well as parts of Lindenwood and northern Springfield Gardens.
The initial four communities were chosen based on economic need, projected childcare demand, existing access gaps, provider capacity and readiness, the city said. Services will begin in September, with rolling enrollment throughout the fall. Additional details on participating providers will be released in the weeks ahead.
Hochul has committed more than $1.2 billion to support early-childhood care and education in the city including $73 million to fund the first set of free 2-K seats. The investment will grow to $425 million next year, and by fall 2027, 2-K is expected to serve approximately 12,000 children across all five boroughs, with the goal of reaching every 2-year-old in the city at full implementation.
“Raising a child takes a village — and it takes a city government willing to step up and tackle the child care crisis head-on,” Mamdani said in a prepared statement. “Launching free 2-K in these four neighborhoods is just the beginning of our work to put money back in New Yorkers’ pockets, strengthen our entire economy and help more families build their lives here.”
Hochul in a statement said raising a family in New York should not feel like a luxury.
“This is how we make New York the best place to start a family and build a future — and we’re just getting started,” she said.
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. said, “Families across South Queens and the Rockaway Peninsula have endured generations of systemic disinvestment in their children’s education, from a lack of funding for their schools to a lack of urgency in ensuring our youngest students are given the proper head start they deserve.
“With District 27 set to become the borough’s first 2-K district this fall, we are taking another seismic leap forward in righting the wrongs of the past and building an education system rooted in equity.”
Councilmember Lynn Schulman (D-Forest Hills), whose area includes parts of School District 27, thanked the mayor and governor for the investment and said the seats are “a critical step toward making early childhood education truly accessible and affordable for every family.”