NEW YORK, NY — Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña today announced that 3-K 
for All will expand to four more community school districts over the next three years, increasing the City’s commitment to fully funding free, full-day, high-quality 3-K from eight community school districts by 2020 to 12 community school districts. This will double the number of new districts opening this fall and next from 2 to 4 in both years. The City intends to bring 3-K for All citywide in the 2021-22 school year with additional support from partners in the State and fe Starting in the 2018-19 school year, the City will expand to additional school districts each year, in addition to the previously announced districts. The new districts are: 2018-19: District 5 (Harlem) and District 16 (Bedford-Stuyvesant), 2019-20: District 6 (Washington Heights and Inwood), 2020-21: District 12 (Central Bronx).
“The first class of 3-K for All started in September, and their development since then is truly remarkable. This extra year of education is giving our kids an invaluable head start in life, and helping to alleviate some of the financial strain that working families in New York City face,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “By accelerating and expanding 3-K for All, we are bringing this opportunity to more kids and families faster.”
Since 2014, Mayor de Blasio charted a very aggressive course to ensure educational opportunity was universally accessible to all of New York City’s children, regardless of the neighborhood in which they lived.
At the beginning of 2014, there were 20,000 free, full-day pre-K seats available to 4-year-old New Yorkers. Today there are 70,000, and with this expansion thousands more young New Yorkers will have access to early childhood education.
“I am excited to expand 3-K for All to four more districts ahead of schedule, bringing an opportunity for thousands more three-year-olds to gain a critical educational foundation,” said Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña. “Starting at three years old allows us to reach children at the ideal period of development, and I encourage families to review the 3-K and Pre-K for All options available for their child and apply.”
Applications for 3-K for All and Pre-K for All will open on Monday, February 5. Families can submit an application for 3-K online at nyc.gov/3k, and for Pre-K online at nyc.gov/prek. All families can apply over the phone by calling 311 or in person at a Family Welcome Center. The online application is available in ten languages, and families can submit an application over the phone or in person in over 200 languages. 3-K and Pre-K enrollment specialists – experts on sites across each neighborhood – will also be available to help families throughout the process as they find a program that best fits their child’s needs.
“It’s exciting to see the rapid expansion of 3-K in our community schools. Pre-K provides all children with a jump-start on their educations, but the gains are all the more dramatic among those from disadvantaged backgrounds. We salute the mayor and the chancellor for their historic efforts to advance Universal P-K over recent years and particularly now as they open the doors of opportunity for children as young as three,” said Mark Cannizzaro, President of CSA.
