Mayor Zohran Mamdani is betting big on the program, which he hopes to expand to 12,000 seats next year and citywide by the end of his first term.

Free 2-K and new AI restrictions are taking effect, but much of the mayor’s K-12 agenda remains unclear. Here are five issues to watch.

Erica Phillips, a nonprofit leader with a history of supporting family childcare providers, will take over the Education Department’s Division of Early Childhood Education at a critical juncture.

NYC is banning student-facing generative AI tools in preschool through 8th grade and calling for screen time limits. But with key details still murky, educators face uncertainty just days before school starts.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced $43 million in funding and other reforms to resolve chronic city payment delays to early childhood education providers. The backlog threatens the rollout of his signature 2-K program.

Mamdani’s administration said the city was paying for far more internet coverage than necessary, and could secure internet service for students who need it at a much lower cost.

The offers come after Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration spent months spreading the word about the free program for 2-year-olds.

The mandate was first introduced as part of Eric Adams’ NYC Reads curriculum overhaul. Early childhood programs can now apply to use other options.

The education campaign, “Cannabis Honestly,” is based on listening sessions with roughly 450 young people and their adult caregivers.

Black and Latino students continue to secure a tiny fraction of seats in specialized high schools. Meanwhile, Mamdani’s administration reported improvements in placing 3-K students closer to home.