The “3-K for All” Preschool Program Now Available in All 5 Boroughs

In the 2018-19 school year, more than 67,000 four-year-olds participated in the Pre-K for All program as well, up from approximately 19,000 participants prior to de Blasio’s administration.

By Jacqueline Neber September 9, 2019

3-K for All, the nation’s “most ambitious effort to provide universal free, full-day, high-quality early childhood education for every three-year-old,” is now available borough-wide in Staten Island and available in all of the city’s five boroughs for the first time ever. 3-K for All is part of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Equity and Excellence education agenda. According to the mayor’s office, approximately 17,700 students were enrolled in 3-K by September 5, and total enrollment is projected to reach 20,000 this fall.

“Today, 1 of every 300 Americans sits in a New York City public school–each with a different story behind them and a different dream ahead of them,” Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza said in a press release. “As educators, it is our great responsibility to give each student the instruction and support they need to meet the high bar we’ve set.”

3-K is in its third year of rollout and is now in 12 districts across all five boroughs. This has doubled the number of districts offering free, full-day preschool for three-year-olds since last year, reaching 12 districts two years ahead of schedule, says the mayor's office.

Four-year-olds can attend can attend preschool through the Pre-K for All program, which offered free, high-quality preschool seats to 67,886 students during the 2018-19 school year. According to the mayor’s office, over 1,800 DOE district schools, NYC Early Education Centers, EarlyLearn programs, and Pre-K Centers are offering free, full-day, high-quality pre-K this year. Families can continue to find pre-K seats by calling 311 visiting the city’s preschool website.

Other branches of de Blasio’s Equity and Excellence program include the Bronx Plan, AP for All, Computer Science for All, Bilingual Education, and the DOE’s focus on “research-driven efforts to create supportive school communities that help students stay in school and succeed academically.”

“Ensuring that all our 3 year olds will have the opportunity to attend pre-K is an investment in life-long learning and a benefit to working families…[with these programs] we are on a strong path towards increased educational equity for students of all backgrounds,” New York City Council Member Brad Lander said in a press release. “I'm looking forward to working with the Mayor and the Chancellor on furthering the work to desegregate schools and to expand restorative justice approaches to discipline that interrupt the school-to-prison pipeline.”