They can\u2019t give it away for free.<\/p>\n
Mayor Zohran Mamdani\u2019s administration failed to convince more families to apply to the city\u2019s free pre-K and 3-K programs \u2014 and even reported a slight dip compared to last year \u2014 despite an aggressive months-long social media campaign and advertising blitz, new data shows.<\/p>\n
About 590 fewer students applied to the city\u2019s free 3-K programs this year, marking a 1.4% dip compared to 2025, while pre-K applications only increased by a measly .3%, or 172 applications, according to a Post review of Department of Education data. <\/p>\n
Mamdani has made universal childcare a key platform of his mayoral campaign and administration, with Gov. Kathy Hochul pitching in $73 million <\/a>in state funding for his 2,000-seat 2-K pilot program, or about $36,500 per tot.\u00a0 <\/p>\n The Mamdani administration failed to convince more families to apply to the city\u2019s free Pre-K and 3-K programs this year. Erik Pendzich\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Hizzoner launched an outreach campaign to boost the city\u2019s existing free preschool programs for 3- and 4-year-olds, but the same percentage of eligible families applied this year compared to last, the data shows.<\/p>\n Only half of all tots eligible for 3-K applied to the program in both 2025 and 2026 \u2014 even though demand has surged citywide for spots and overall seat capacity jumped to roughly 84%, from 81% between 2023-24, according to an Independent Budget Office analysis<\/a>.<\/p>\n Follow live updates on Mayor Zohran Mamdani\u2019s socialist agenda and the latest in NYC politics<\/a><\/p>\n Speaking at a news conference Tuesday, the mayor blamed his predecessor Eric Adams for bequeathing him a broken universal childcare system with a \u201cbare bones\u201d outreach team.<\/p>\n \u201cDespite the incredible efforts of the City Council, we saw that there was sustained disinvestment in the outreach around universal childcare, especially as it pertained to\u00a03-K\u00a0and pre-K,\u201d Mamdani said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u00a0we\u2019ve\u00a0also seen is decreased immigration into our city, increased fear and suspicion of enrolling and using city services, especially from immigrant communities,\u201d he added, in attempting to explain his admin\u2019s struggle to increase applications. <\/p>\n \u201cWe knew we had to invest in a sustained outreach this year and have it also\u00a0be\u00a0part of multi-year outreach so that we can start to win the trust back of those families,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The mayor also blamed \u201cyears of confusion over what was\u00a0actually available,\u201d alluding to anecdotes citywide of students receiving offers for preschool spots in neighborhoods miles away from their homes.<\/p>\n As of Tuesday, the city had made nearly 100,000 offers for pre-K and 3-K \u2014 with fewer families receiving placements to programs not listed on their applications, from 15 to 12%, \u201chelping ensure more families received offers they could realistically accept,\u201d City Hall said.<\/p>\n \u201cDespite the incredible efforts of the city council, we saw that there was sustained disinvestment in the outreach around universal childcare, especially as it pertained to 3-K and pre-K,\u201d Mamdani said. AP<\/p>\n The mayor\u2019s office touted also touted a significant decrease to the average distance between a child\u2019s home and 3- and 4-year-old program placement in 2026.<\/p>\n Last year, the average school commute was 1.1 miles for pre-K students and 1.97 miles for 3-K families. This year, those figures dropped to .9 and 1.12 miles, respectively.<\/p>\n Fewer than 200 families received out-of-borough offers this year \u2014 compared with 720 families in 2025 \u2014 and all placements were within three miles from home, the city said.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart your day with all you need to know\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMorning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \u201cFrankly, the announcements that\u00a0we\u2019ve\u00a0made today of how much closer these centers will be \u2014 how many more families will have their top choice or their top three choices \u2014 that\u2019s\u00a0how you start to wind people back to being a part of the system,\u201d Mamdani said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s\u00a0not going to be the ad that you see on a\u00a0LinkNYC\u00a0kiosk or in the back of a taxicab,\u201d he argued. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s\u00a0going to be a comment you see from a parent on a Facebook group, that [says], \u2018Actually, this year, I got that program.\u2019 That\u2019s\u00a0how\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0going to start to win people in the years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n The news comes as the city faces a population decrease, with the number of eligible 3-K students in the city plummeting 1.23% since 2025. Erik Pendzich\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n The news comes as the city faces a population decrease, with the number of eligible 3-K students in the city plummeting 1.23% since 2025 \u2014 and officials are blaming affordability struggles on the exodus. Last year, New York City lost 114,000 more residents to other US cities than it gained.<\/a><\/p>\n At the same time, Mamdani has aggressively expanded the number of early childhood education seats available after a Post investigation revealed dozens of city-run preschools were built, but never opened<\/a>, under previous mayoral administrations.<\/p>\n This week alone, Mamdani announced a 2,000-seat addition to the city\u2019s universal 3-K programs across the five boroughs, effectively doubling the city\u2019s earlier expansion program.<\/p>\n But some parents have left the system entirely \u2014 and shell out tens of thousands of dollars for private child care <\/a>due to far-away placements or difficult commutes on public transit.<\/p>\n