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The number of New York City families receiving offers to public preschool programs remained flat this year, despite a major push from Mayor Zohran Mamdani to increase outreach and expand the program.
A total of 99,921 students received an offer for the city’s preschool programs serving 3- and 4-year-olds, Mamdani announced Tuesday, the same day offers were released. That’s 68 fewer than last year.
Early childhood education is a centerpiece of Mamdani’s agenda, and the mayor launched a campaign to persuade families to sign up for the city’s free preschool programs, yet the same percentage of eligible families applied to preschool programs compared with last year.
Mamdani acknowledged Tuesday that the administration struggled to boost applications, which he partly blamed on former Mayor Eric Adams leaving behind a “bare bones” outreach operation. He also cited decreased migration to the city, fear of using city services in immigrant communities, and confusion about the availability of seats.
Still, Mamdani pointed to some bright spots. About 70% of families received their top choice for 3-K, the city’s preschool programs for 3 year olds, up from 65% the year before. About 12% of families were placed in a program they didn’t list on their applications, down from 15% the prior year. And the average distance families will have to travel to reach their program is declining.
“For so many parents, it’s not going to be the ad that you see on a LinkNYC kiosk or in the back of a taxicab,” that will prompt families to apply, Mamdani said. Instead, he’s banking on word of mouth from families who get access to seats closer to home. “That’s how we’re going to start to win people in the years to come,” said the mayor, who was flanked by Gov. Kathy Hochul at a press conference outside a preschool in Jackson Heights, Queens.
The Education Department has struggled for years to meet surging demand in some neighborhoods while facing a glut of empty seats in others. On Monday, city officials announced plans to add 2,000 3-K seats this fall, about double the number previously announced, and have sought to bring several empty facilities online. Roughly 700 of those 2,000 seats were added after the application deadline, and caregivers can join waitlists for those seats using the city’s MySchools portal.
Mamdani won office by emphasizing the city’s high cost of living and his signature promise is a free child care program for 2 year olds, which will begin rolling out this September with 2,000 seats. The latest preschool numbers show that there may be limits to the demand for early childhood programs, especially as the city grapples with falling birth rates and high housing costs.
Hochul said she hopes the state’s investment in early childhood programs can help buck some of those trends.
“When we fully implement our vision for universal childcare across New York City and the state, we are now in a very competitive position to recruit individuals who otherwise might have said, ‘No, I can’t afford to live in New York,’” she said.
Rebecca Bailin, executive director of New Yorkers United for Child Care, said she is already hearing from families who are thrilled to have offers to programs close to home. She’s hopeful Mamdani’s efforts to invest in early childhood programs will prompt more families to apply in future years.
“Anecodtally, this is night and day,” said Bailin, noting her advocacy group formed to resist preschool funding cuts under Adams. “We have an elected leader who has made this one of his top priorities.”
Alex Zimmerman is a senior reporter for Chalkbeat New York, covering NYC public schools. Contact Alex at azimmerman@chalkbeat.org.
