All New York City families who applied to 3-K on time have now received an offer for when schools reopen next month, the Education Department announced Wednesday.
Approximately 2,400 applicants to the city’s free preschool program for 3-year-olds didn’t receive placements in the spring, when the first round of offers went out.
Since then, the school system has added 1,500 3-K seats in areas with long waitlists, including parts of the Bronx. Some parents turned down initial offers that were far away or didn’t work for their schedules, freeing up seats for new families — but leaving others without affordable child care.
“Since the start of the Adams administration, we have been clear that we must ensure families have access to early childhood education,” press secretary Nathaniel Styer said in a statement. “Safe, high-quality child care is crucial for families to stay and afford to live in New York City.”
“We were also clear that our administration had to confront real challenges in expanding a 3-K program where there was a major mismatch between demand and seat availability — exacerbated up by sunsetting stimulus dollars.”
At the same time, just because a family receives an offer doesn’t always mean they can take it.
Rebecca Bailin, executive director of New Yorkers United for Child Care, said that despite the city’s promise of a 3-K seat for every child, thousands of parents were initially shut out of the program or offered seats an hour away. Many of those families were unable to accept the placement because it was too far from home or work, she added, or have since put down deposits on private schools.
“The distance really does matter,” Bailin said, “and it’s important to remember you just can’t send a kid on the subway or bus. They need to be brought to their daycare.”
“We’ll be keeping a close eye to see if families can actually reach the seats the city is belatedly offering — otherwise this is little more than an empty gesture and another headache for working parents,” she added.
Last year, thousands of budgeted 3-K seats went unfilled, even though demand exceeded supply in nearly half of local zip codes.
“We are continuing to provide support to families who might not have been matched with one of their top choices to help them get admitted from a waitlist or find a location with available seats that works best for their family,” Styer added.
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