Mayor Zohran Mamdani is trying to make it right with Staten Island.
On the heels of his 2-K announcement with Gov. Kathy Hochul last week, Mamdani is expected to announce more than 1,000 new, free 3-K seats in 56 ZIP codes. Those ZIP codes include ones on Staten Island, where many people were frustrated that none of their school districts were selected for the initial universal 2-K rollout.
Often referred to as “the forgotten borough,” Staten Island was fired up over Mamdani’s blizzard response from a few weeks back. The borough got 2 feet of snow; people complained plow coverage was lacking. Some also said it was poorly attuned that Mamdani said all New York City public schools would be in person the next day.
The 1,000 new free preschool seats expected to be announced Tuesday target neighborhoods that have not had enough seats and aim to respond to high demand for the program. Mamdani is set to make the announcement around 11 a.m. We’ll have it live for you in the player above when he does.
Kids grow fast, and so do we.
This fall, we’re adding more than 1,000 seats for universal 3-K in 56 zip codes. Childcare will be more accessible and affordable across all five boroughs. pic.twitter.com/o6OYaJ1oky
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) March 9, 2026
According to The New York Times, which first reported Mamdani’s intention, the ZIP codes include a spectrum of neighborhoods, from working-class communities in Queens, for example, to Upper West Siders. On Staten Island, Port Richmond and Tottenville are among the locations expected to get more free 3-K seats.
The city has offered free pre-school for kids ages 4 and 5, though some families say it’s been difficult to get seats close to their homes since former Mayor Eric Adams scaled back the program.
“For too long, families were promised universal 3-K but offered seats miles away — forcing them to pay out of pocket for child care or leave the city,” Mamdani told the Times in a statement. “By making 3-K truly universal, we’re building a city where every New Yorker can raise a family.”
Staten Island, meanwhile, is set to be added to the 2-K list in 2027. That’s when the city plans to add 10,000 seats to the universal 2-K program. It is expected to serve about 2,000 children this fall in the rollout.
The governor has committed $100 million in state funding to improve the universal 3-K program and said the state would pay for the first two years of Mamdani’s 2-K plan. It’s unclear how they’d be paid for beyond that.
Hochul has also rolled out a sweeping, longer-term proposal to expand access to universal pre-K statewide, with the goal of having the program available throughout New York by the start of the 2028-2029 school year.