On Jan. 23, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani held a roundtable press conference together with Emmy Liss, Executive Director of the City’s Office of Child Care, the New York City Department of Education’s Deputy Chancellor, and other officials to jointly announce the official opening of applications for the 2026 school year’s free, high-quality 3K (for three-year-olds) and 4K (for four-year-olds) early childhood education programs.
The panel encouraged all interested New Yorkers to apply by the Feb. 27 deadline, stressing that the program is not first-come, first-served and that every family will have a chance as long as their application is submitted on time.
In a Jan. 14 press release, the mayor said, “New Yorkers have until February 27 to apply for 3-K and Pre-K, and we’re using every tool at our disposal to get the word out,” adding that, “Whether on TaxiTV, LinkNYC, or out in your neighborhood, my Administration will be working tirelessly to ensure that New Yorkers know their government is here to serve them. So if you have a child turning 3 or 4 this year, you can apply by visiting myschools.nyc, calling 718-935-2009, or visiting one of our 13 Family Welcome Centers.”
“Every child, regardless of background or circumstance, deserves access to a high-quality early childhood education, and no parent should have to make tough decisions to ensure that their kids are set up for lifelong success,” said Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels. “I am proud to partner with Mayor Mamdani to get the word out about open 3-K and pre-K applications, while creating systems and programs to support continuity of care for our families.”
Getting the word out
A current focus of the Mamdani administration is to ensure that all New Yorkers, regardless of their immigration status, understand that this program is available to them and their children. Mamdani wants to ensure that this messaging gets out to as many New Yorkers as possible.
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“We are not going to be satisfied with any one thing. We have to continue to make the case to New Yorkers. And, for a long time, government has waited for New Yorkers to find us. Our job is to find them, to meet them in their lives, bring the case to them,” Mamdani said.
He acknowledged that not every New Yorker trusts the government, telling Vision Times, “They look to your news outlet, they may look to a specific community or organization, they may look to a specific elected official in that neighborhood, and so that’s what we are also looking for, these kinds of partnerships with anyone that we can find, who can communicate this out to a broader audience.”
“Because, it can’t just be that we posted a video on TikTok and Instagram and Twitter and Bluesky … the question should be, ‘Well, how are we getting the word out on WeChat? How are we getting the word out to every New Yorker no matter what social media platform they are using?’ That’s what we are going to keep asking ourselves.”
The city was clear, “any family that applies by the deadline will receive an offer.”
Interested families can apply by attending one of the city’s Family Welcome Centers that are open Monday through Thursday, from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and on Fridays from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Families can also call 718-935-2009 from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Monday through Friday.
