Upper East Side parents are fuming after the city suddenly halted plans for a preschool in the posh neighborhood \u2014 and Department of Education officials refuse to explain why they pulled the plug, The Post has learned.<\/p>\n
The massive 30,000-square-foot early childhood education center at 403 E. 65th St. was set to open by fall 2024 in order to meet local pols\u2019 and parents\u2019 demand for more classroom seats<\/a>, the DOE announced with fanfare in 2022.<\/a><\/p>\n The site \u2013 a former parking garage leased by the city from private landlord Friedland Properties \u2013 appeared to be fully built, with DOE signage, the lights on and a security guard present, but still hadn\u2019t opened to students. <\/p>\n Pressed by The Post, the DOE bizarrely walked back its years-old announcement, claiming Friday that \u201cno final decisions have been made on how this building location will be utilized.\u201d<\/p>\n The massive early childhood education center at 403 East 65th St. was set to open by fall 2024. Peter Senzamici\/NY Post<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s like a slap in the face every time we walk by,\u201d fumed one Upper East Side mom, Jennifer, who recently moved to the same block as the site with dreams of enrolling her young son \u2013 who has been on a waitlist for the city\u2019s Manhattan Schoolhouse 3-K program \u201csince he was an infant.\u201d<\/p>\n The planned site was slated to house up to 10 classrooms for three- and four-year-olds, and help neighborhood parents who for years have pleaded for more spots in the city\u2019s free pre-K and 3-K programs.<\/p>\n Enrollment for 3-K in Manhattan\u2019s District 2, which contains the Upper East Side, skyrocketed more than 121% \u2014 from just 245 students in the 2022-23 school year to 543 in 2024-25 \u2014 while preschool enrollment roughly plateaued during the same time period, according to planning documents obtained by The Post.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a lot of families who move to the neighborhood expecting public school and public program benefits,\u201d Manhattan Community Board 8 chairperson Valerie Mason said.<\/p>\n \u201cUniversal means universal.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Without the new center opening, Jennifer, who asked not to be identified using her full name, said she would have to continue paying for private 3-K at her son\u2019s current day care.<\/p>\n The early childhood education center on East 65th Street is open with lights on \u2014 but no children in sight. Peter Senzamici\/NY Post<\/p>\n But private day care options can cost tens of thousands of dollars a year, putting a \u201creal strain\u201d on young families\u2019 budgets, said a longtime CB8 member familiar with the matter.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the difference between us being able to buy an apartment on the Upper East Side versus rent,\u201d the source said. \u201cI feel like families give up \u2026 and then they either move or [attend] a private school.\u201d<\/p>\n The source also speculated that the Upper East Side site might have been \u201cdeprioritized\u201d because it is a wealthier district, but didn\u2019t know for sure as the DOE has not provided an explanation.<\/p>\n \u201cWe wouldn\u2019t be far along on the priority list because of demographics \u2014 like economic demographics,\u201d the source said.<\/p>\n Seats in the Big Apple\u2019s public early childhood education are distributed based on \u201ccommunity needs\u201d according to the DOE, and are not fixed from year to year.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will continue to monitor community needs closely, particularly given aggressive outreach by the new Administration to help families apply and enroll, and share that information should any future updates become available,\u201d a DOE rep said.<\/p>\n