Staten Island Advance: NYC Mayor Adams announces $100M investment to bolster the city’s 3-K and pre-K programs

Paul Liotta, Staten Island Advance

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Mayor Eric Adams announced a $100 million investment into early childhood education Thursday to bolster the city’s 3-K and pre-K programs by better connecting families in the five boroughs with seats for their children.

“All families deserve to live in a city with a safe, nurturing, and affordable place to leave their children, while being given the opportunity to pursue their dreams,” Adams said. “Access to affordable child care is one of the largest drivers of economic mobility, especially for women. That’s why our administration has delivered an expanded and more equitable early childhood education program, and, with this plan, we are presenting our vision for how to strengthen it even further into the future.”

The new investment comes from the annual city budget adopted in June, and according to the Adams administration, has added more than 1,500 additional 3-K seats in high-demand areas in the past two months.

While universal pre-K and 3-k were monumental achievements for former Mayor Bill de Blasio, the system has been consistently criticized by people unable to enroll their children.

The $100 million investment will provide a seat to all families who applied for pre-K and 3-K, expand outreach so more families are aware, provide more service for special-education students, provide more extended hours, expand access for undocumented students, provide more support for childcare in the city, and better fund city agencies to serve the early childhood education system.

Additionally, the money will establish a “Child Care Advisory Group” — comprised of parents, city agencies and service providers — fund the Mayor’s Office of Child Care and Early Childhood Education, and convene bi-weekly meetings between the Adams administration and the City Council.

“Improving and investing in our city’s early childhood education system has always been this Council’s priority,” Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said. “Today’s announcement is the fruit of more than a year and half of labor to expand extended day options and special education seats, support this essential workforce, and make child care more accessible. I’m pleased that the Department of Education has cleared the 3-K waiting list with offers made to all families that applied. I look forward to working with the Adams administration to ensure more families access seats moving forward.”

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