Applications are now open for New York City’s public and free pre-kindergarten (Pre-K) and 3-K programs. Mayor Zohran Mamdani, with the support of Gov. Kathy Hochul, is hoping to give as many children as he can an opportunity to learn and grow.
“I want to make it very clear,” said Mamdani at a Jan. 23 ethnic media roundtable. “Whether you applied on the first day or you apply on the last day. Any family that applies by the deadline will receive an offer. This is not a first-come, first-serve kind of program.”
Some details:
- Applications are open from today until the deadline on Friday, February 27, 2026. Offers for students should go out beginning on Tuesday, May 19, 2026.
- You can create your own account and apply online with MySchools.nyc in at least 13 different languages.
- Or apply by phone at 718-935-2009 with interpretation services in more than 200 languages.
- Or apply in person at one of the city’s 13 Family Welcome Centers.
- Kids turning 3 or 4 years old in 2026 are eligible. Immigration status is not a factor.
High-quality early childcare and education is proven to be a crucial part of any child’s development, boosting test scores and academic achievement as well as promoting a child’s cognitive abilities. These programs also offer economic help, allowing working-class families to save money and return to their jobs without worry. Former Mayor Bill de Blasio introduced universal pre-K in 2014 and expanded it to include 3-K in 2017. However, the city has struggled with racial disparities and income-based gaps in enrollment over the years.
Black and Latino parents, from 2017 to 2021, had a steep drop-off rate between the application process and enrollment in 3-K, despite having “much higher rates of interest and application than white parents,” according to a 2023 Robin Hood study. Not all families who applied received an offer from a 3-K program and some families who received offers did not enroll their children.
“If New Yorkers are not choosing to opt into the system, it’s a reflection of inadequacies in the system itself. And so that’s what we are working to rectify,” said Mamdani.
The city’s pre-K and 3-K programs floundered during the COVID pandemic, but there was a sharp uptick in enrollment among Latino/Hispanic students in 2022 and 2023, according to the city’s Independent Budget Office (IBO) report. The increase was likely due to the influx of migrants and asylum-seeking families to the city in 2021. Still, early childhood programs faced contentious back-and-forth budget cuts under former Mayor Eric Adams. In 2024, more than 2,500 families complained they couldn’t get placement for their kids.
It’s because of these varying disparities in enrollment that Mamdani’s team is ramping up efforts to fill seats and pushing outreach to parents of eligible kids turning three or four years old this year.
In her latest address, Hochul committed to making a $1.2 billion investment in Mamdani’s 2-Care program, or childcare for two year olds, while dedicating a portion to “fixing” the city’s pre-K and 3-K programs.
Meanwhile, President Trump’s increasingly dangerous nationwide deportation operation has many parents from immigrant communities terrified to apply or enroll their children in schools this year. Mamdani has vowed that he will uphold the sanctuary city law that denies U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal agents access to schools, hospitals, city properties, or even the properties of city contractors unless they present a judicial warrant signed by a judge.
“These are programs for every single New Yorker. These are not programs that are going to ask the immigration status of any one of the children,” said Mamdani. “They should all be enrolled in pre-K and 3K, no matter where they were born or where they come from.”
A child only needs to be the eligible age with a New York City address to register and enroll. Immigration status is not considered. Once a student has an offer, certain documents are needed to prove their age, verify city residency, confirm parent or guardian’s identity, and comply with health and immunization laws. Any family that applies by the deadline on Feb. 27 will receive an offer, Mamdani stressed
Trevonda Kelly, chief of student enrollment at New York City Public Schools, clarified that when families use the application to rank their top five childcare locations, they are “automatically” added to waitlists for those preferred choices. A student can also be waitlisted if their parents applied to a zoned school outside their district or if families miss the February application deadline. “Because you are on a waitlist, it does not mean that you don’t have an offer,” said Kelly.
The city’s Family Welcome Centers are open Monday through Thursday, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and on Fridays from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Families can call 718-935-2009 from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Or visit enrollmentsupport.schools.nyc/