Demand soars for 2-K, Mamdani admin sends out acceptance seats for 'free' program
The program is expected to save families an average of $26,000 a year according to the mayor's office.
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Families across New York City are receiving offer letters for the Mamdani Administration's inaugural 2-K program.
More than 2,000 children have received a seat in a free 2-K class for the upcoming school year, with 82% of families getting one of their top three choices, according to City Hall.
More than half of the applicants got placed in their first-choice location.
Back in January, Mayor Mamdani and Governor Kathy Hochul announced their partnership to launch a universal 2-K across the five boroughs with an initial investment of $73 million, expected to grow $425 million as the program grows.
Demand has proven evident as the administration says they received over 5,700 applications.
“The overwhelming demand for 2-K shows what families across the city have known for years: New Yorkers need free, universal child care, and they need it now,” said Mayor Mamdani.
The program is expected to save families an average of $26,000 a year according to the mayor's office.
The first seats will be available at centers in five school districts across the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan, with the majority of them expected to be full-day, full-year programs.
City Hall says they will use families' responses to assist in the expansion of 2-K, hoping to add more seats to neighborhoods with the highest demand.
Families that did not get a seat will receive details about the waitlist.
The mayor is expected to announce the program's expansion plans for 2027, with 12,000 seats, including Staten Island later this year.
