BRONX, N.Y. — Staten Island was left out when New York City’s free 2-K program debuted earlier this year.
On Monday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani had a decidedly different message for the borough.
“So, the entire borough of Staten Island will be covered with this program,” Mamdani said during a press conference at Sky Zone in the Bronx, where he and Gov. Kathy Hochul detailed a major expansion of free childcare planned for fall 2027, bringing an additional 10,000 seats to the program, which began this year with 2,000.
The expansion will bring the full-day, year-round program for 2-year-olds to all of Staten Island and the Bronx, as well as select districts in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens.
The state is backing the expansion with a $1.2 billion investment.
“What that means is it will make free childcare available to every single family here in the Bronx and on Staten Island starting next fall,” Mamdani said on Monday. “This truly historic announcement will save parents more than $25,000 per child per year, while transforming the lives of children by giving them the strong foundation they need to succeed.”
Mamdani said that when placements are announced, “families in the Bronx, on Staten Island, and across our city, will feel an enormous weight lifted off their shoulders next fall, when 12,000 2-year-olds slip on their Crocs and put on backpacks that dangle down to their knees.”
The expansion to Staten Island comes months after Mamdani and Hochul first announced 2,000 seats for the 2-K program aimed at providing free early care and education to 2-year-olds.
Though the program was initially announced in March, inaugural classes began in September across five school districts: District 6 in Manhattan, District 10 in the Bronx, Districts 18 and 23 in Brooklyn and District 27 in Queens.
The expansion announced on Monday is scheduled for the fall of 2027.
Emmy Liss, executive director of the Mayor’s Office for Child Care and Early Childhood Education, said the exact number of seats per district will depend on provider participation and anticipated family demand.
“Our goal is to serve as many Staten Island families next fall as we can,” Liss said.
Hochul called the expansion a direct investment in working families.
“This is how we provide real relief to working families and ensure our children have the best possible start in life,” she said.
As 2-K expands, city officials are working to ensure childcare providers have the resources needed.
In August, the city announced an overhaul of the New York City Public Schools’ Division of Early Childhood Education contracting and procurement processes to increase transparency, shorten timelines, improve customer service and develop more opportunities for provider input. Additionally, the city announced a plan to hire more than 200 new staff members at New York City Public Schools to ensure the agency’s ability to deliver these services.
The expansion targets Manhattan’s Districts 4 and 5, Brooklyn’s Districts 16, 17, 19, 20, 21 and 32, and Queens’ Districts 24, 28 and 29. Neighborhoods set to benefit include East Harlem, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Crown Heights, Coney Island, Corona and Forest Hills. More than 5,700 New Yorkers submitted applications during the initial program launch.
Next week, the city will release a survey for current providers and a request for information for new providers. Families can expect details on the application timeline in the coming weeks.
The program will be offered through both center-based and home-based family childcare settings.