WATERTOWN, New York (WBNG) – Families across New York State will have more access to childcare in the coming years as hundreds of school districts across the state obtained more pre-K seats for families as part of a statewide expansion by the governor.<\/p>\n
Governor Kathy Hochul announced the expansion of free Pre-K in more than 400 school districts across New York State on Wednesday, September 2.<\/p>\n
Hochul said the expansion brings thousands of new Pre-K seats online as the school year begins, with tens of thousands more seats planned in the coming years.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll never stop fighting to lower costs for families \u2014 and our historic investment has already delivered thousands more free Pre-K seats statewide, with tens of thousands more in the coming years,\u201d Hochul said. \u201cAs New York\u2019s first mom Governor, putting us on the path to statewide universal Pre-K was personal for me \u2014 and I\u2019m ensuring that we will deliver on that promise.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hochul marked the start of the expansion by cutting the ribbon on the new Silas Wood Pre-K Center in South Huntington, on Long Island. The South Huntington School District can now guarantee a Pre-K seat to every eligible four-year-old in the district whose family wants one, eliminating the district\u2019s previous lottery and waitlist system.<\/p>\n
In this year\u2019s state budget, Hochul secured a $563 million annual increase in funding for the 2026-27 school year for universal Pre-K, part of a broader $1.7 billion investment in childcare programs for fiscal year 2027. The state plans to make Pre-K universal for 4-year-olds statewide by the start of the 2028-29 school year. Total annual funding available for Universal Pre-K programs has increased by more than 70% since 2021.<\/p>\n
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