NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) — It’s decision day for New York’s youngest students.
On Tuesday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced that 99,921 families have been given 3-K and Pre-K offers. Some 70% of those offers were families’ first 3-K choice, and 85% got one of their top three choices.
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“That’s nearly 100,000 young people who will walk through our doors to a free, high-quality early childhood program,” Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels said.
Distance from home has been a key issue for families applying for free child care. Mamdani says this year, the city reduced average commutes. The average distance between home and Pre-K location is 0.9 miles, and 1.12 miles for 3-K.
New Yorkers United for Child Care says that untenable commutes are the difference between true universal child care and an inequitable system.
“No family should have to travel more than 15 minutes for quality child care,” the group wrote in its five-year pitch for universal, state-wide child care.
Mamdani on Monday announced the city will add 2,000 more 3-K seats across 56 zip codes in the next school year. Families will be able to indicate interest in these new seats through the waitlist process, city officials said.
Emily Rahhal is a digital reporter who has covered New York City since 2023 after reporting in Los Angeles for years. She joined PIX11 in 2024. See more of her work here and follow her on Twitter here.
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