Mayor de Blasio Announces More Than 10,000 New Full-Day Pre-K Seats at Community-Based Early Childhood Centers in Every Borough

Mayor de Blasio announced on Friday that New York City will open 10,400 additional full-day pre-kindergarten seats in Community-Based Early Childhood Centers by September 2014.  Communities including Crotona-Tremont in the Bronx, as well as Flushing and Jamaica in Queens, will each see more than 500 new high-quality, full-day seats compared to this past school year. More than 5,400 of the seats announced today are in low-income communities.

The seats were approved at last night’s Panel for Educational Policy. The new programs bring the number of full-day seats at community-based sites to 25,000, over 20,000 more community-based full-day seats than in the current school year. The new sites are posted online and the Mayor urged parents to apply by June 26th to find the best option for their child. The City has built an online tool to help parents find high-quality programs in their community at nyc.gov/prek.

The new pre-K seats, combined with those in public schools, greatly expand choices for Bronx parents to secure a free, high-quality, full-day pre-K spot in their neighborhood.  Additional seats will continue to be made available throughout the summer.

“This is a big day for working families across this city. We are giving thousands more children the right start in life,” the Mayor said.  “But the door we are opening depends on parents coming forward today to apply. This is one of the most important decisions any parent can make for their child, and we are giving parents the options they need to find the right program in their own community.”