New York City is expanding its existing special education programs into pre-K classrooms for the first time, Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels said Tuesday. 

Nest, Horizon, AIMS, Path and ACES programs will be available at 26 schools across 14 school districts in all five boroughs starting this fall, Mamdani said at a press conference. 

What You Need To Know

New York City is expanding its existing special education programs into pre-K classrooms for the first time, officials said Tuesday

At a press conference, officials said they will hire hundreds of new staff to facilitate the programs 

The city is putting $67.5 million toward the expansion as part of its fiscal year 2027 budget, City Hall said

The city will hire hundreds of new staff members as part of the expansion, to “strengthen every aspect of our pre-K specialized education infrastructure,” the mayor said. 

That includes systems that help guide families through the Individualized Education Program, or IEP, process.

“That means 35 additional new staff members, including psychologists, social workers, speech evaluators and occupational therapists, to build out 10 additional preschool evaluation teams that will significantly reduce IEP evaluation wait times,” Mamdani said. “It means 20 new administrators and community coordinators on our committee of preschool special education, and 100 new New York City Public School staff members who will support families as they navigate the IEP process.” 

“And it means building on the successful pilot of our Special Education Itinerant Teacher program by hiring an additional 29 therapists and specialists to help preschoolers with IEPs learn alongside their peers,” he added. 

The city is putting $67.5 million toward the expansion as part of its fiscal year 2027 budget, City Hall said in a release. 

A full list of the districts and schools set to see new programs is available on the city’s website.

“Every child deserves to learn and grow in their community, and every family deserves a public education system that meets them exactly where they are,” Mamdani said. 

“Making pre-K truly universal means that no family has to go without just because their child needs a little extra help,” he added. “And it means that having an individualized education plan, or IEP, does not deny your child the same opportunities as their peers to get a strong start in life.”