""This latest critical investment in child care gives the City the tools necessary to build a system to provide care for families with children from birth to five years old," said Rendy Desamours, a spokesperson for Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, a Queens Democrat. The city already funds preschool seats for nearly 100,000 3- and 4-year-olds, and the push to expand that system has gathered steam in recent months."
"The new seats, unlike the majority of those in the city's 3-K and Pre-K programs, will be subsidized for up to 10 hours a day year round, rather than following the K-12 school schedule, which runs six hours and 20 minutes a day, from September through June. A City Council spokesperson said the seats will open in January, but officials didn't immediately clarify when families could start applying or when enrollment would begin. Applications for Pre-K and 3-K programs starting September 2026 open in January."
New York City will open roughly 240 free, publicly funded child care seats for children ages 2 and under in January as a $10 million pilot. The seats stem from a budget agreement reached in June and aim to serve families regardless of income. City Council leaders intend the pilot to inform broader expansions of free child care for the youngest residents. The seats will be subsidized for up to 10 hours a day year-round, offering longer coverage than K-12-aligned Pre-K and 3-K programs. Application and enrollment timelines and provider contracts remain to be finalized.
Read at Chalkbeat
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]