{"id":124110,"date":"2026-02-05T18:16:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T18:16:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/124110\/"},"modified":"2026-02-05T18:16:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T18:16:09","slug":"50000-families-apply-in-2-weeks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/124110\/","title":{"rendered":"50,000 Families Apply in 2 Weeks"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article was originally published in Chalkbeat.<\/a><\/p>\n

New York City received more than 50,000 applications for its free preschool programs in just two weeks, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on Friday.<\/p>\n

That number is about half of the total applications the city received last year for its 3-K and prekindergarten programs \u2014 some 94,840. But families of 3- and 4-year-olds still have nearly a month to apply, and many families often wait until the end of the application window since applications are not accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.<\/p>\n

Applications remain open through Feb. 27.<\/p>\n

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\u201cEvery child deserves access to free, high quality childcare \u2013 and we\u2019re making sure families across the city know that now is the time to enroll in 3-k and pre-K,\u201d Mamdani said in a statement.<\/p>\n

Mamdani seems to be taking a page from Mayor Bill de Blasio\u2019s playbook, when the former mayor launched the city\u2019s massive free pre-K program a decade ago and made outreach a major focal point. De Blasio\u2019s administration mounted a door-to-door campaign <\/a>to get the word out, particularly in low-income neighborhoods where families were less familiar with the city\u2019s new offerings, and staffers called families of 4-year-olds across the city to encourage them to apply.<\/p>\n

Former Mayor Eric Adams, however, did not focus as much on outreach, complained City Council members, who fought for more funding to improve getting the word out about the programs<\/a> to families. Last year, about 1 in every 5 seats for the city\u2019s free child care programs for children ages 4 and under, or more than 27,000 of roughly 136,000 seats, went unfilled, according to city data.<\/a><\/p>\n

The new mayor has a vested interest in making sure application numbers are healthy<\/a>: Not only did he vow to strengthen the city\u2019s 3-K program and ensure that it\u2019s truly universal, showing the demand for the city\u2019s existing programs will help shore up support for his 2-Care program for the city\u2019s 2-year-olds.<\/p>\n

In her recent executive budget proposal, Gov. Kathy Hochul pledged to spend $73 million <\/a>to help New York City roll out its 2-Care program and committed to invest $500 million over two years in the program. The city is aiming to create 2,000 new child care seats for 2-year-olds in high-need areas of the city in the fall, then grow to 8,000 seats the following year, and reach all of the city\u2019s 2-year-olds by the end of Mamdani\u2019s first term.<\/p>\n

On Friday, Mamdani visited a home-based child care provider in Manhattan\u2019s Chinatown as a way to show his commitment to the providers who operate out of home and often offer care that is culturally and linguistically responsive to families in their communities.<\/p>\n

The administration will likely have to rely heavily on home-based providers to scale up its 2-Care program, which will pose many logistical hurdles. That workforce is still reeling<\/a> from losing kids to 3-K and pre-K programs and the COVID pandemic. More recently, the Trump administration\u2019s mass deportation efforts<\/a> have affected the immigrant-heavy workforce, advocates and providers have said.<\/p>\n

Emmy Liss, a former de Blasio administration staffer who is heading the mayor\u2019s Office of Child Care, acknowledged that not all home-based providers fared well in the rollout of the city\u2019s 3-K and pre-K programs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to work closely in partnership with them in this next phase of work, because we cannot do this work without them,\u201d Liss previously told Chalkbeat.<\/a><\/p>\n

Families can apply to 3-K and pre-K online through myschools.nyc<\/a> or by calling 718-935-2009. City officials said any family that applies by the deadline will receive an offer.<\/p>\n

Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools. This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at\/newsletters<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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