Photo: NYC DOE
Feb. 5, 2020 By Kristen Torres
Many Greenpoint and Williamsburg public schools will soon offer classes for 3-year-olds under an expansion of the city’s 3-K for All program, city officials said Wednesday.
Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza announced the program’s expansion—which provides free, full-day early childhood education to every 3-year-old in participating districts—on Wednesday.
The program will now serve 26,000 children citywide during the 2020-2021 school year.
“Every family should be able to give their child the world, and expanding 3-K will help us set even more of our students on the path to success,” the mayor said in a statement.
“3-K and Pre-K for All are unlocking the potential of every child and creating more opportunity for families,” he added.
Expansion of 3-K for All is based off district need and space availability, according to the mayor’s office. The program currently operates in 12 districts across the city, and will expand to a total of 16 districts this fall, including School District 14 that includes Williamsburg and Greenpoint.
“New Yorkers can be proud of the fact that we are home to one of the most ambitious childcare initiatives in the nation,” said Council Member Antonio Reyonoso, who represents Williamsburg.
“Families in School District 14 will now be eligible to apply for the program, helping to offset financial burden and ensuring our youngest minds are nurtured,” he added.
The 3-K for All program first launched during the 2017-2018 school year, and builds on the city’s Pre-K for all program, which provides free pre-k to all four-year-olds in the city. Both initiatives are part of the mayor’s Excellence for All agenda, which aims to create more high-quality early education programs.
Applications for next year’s 3-K and Pre-K programs are open from Feb. 5 until Apr. 24. Families in the city with children born in 2016 can apply for pre-K, and all families with children born in 2017 can apply for 3-K for the 2020-2021 school year.
Families can apply online at MySchools.nyc, over the phone at 718-935-2009, or in person at a Family Welcome Center.
Featured Events
One Comment
Tax dollars well spent. Someone’s finally thinking straight.