New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has taken to social media to urge parents in the city to sign up their 3-to 4-year-old kids for the free Pre-K and 3-K programs, before the deadline to apply ends on February 27.
In one of the posts, Mamdani can be seen hilariously trying and failing to read the sentence in Spanish, urging parents to sign up their children for the universal Pre-K in NYC.
“Learning a second language can be hard. Signing up for Pre-K and 3-K is easy.
Go to apply today. Deadline is tomorrow at midnight!,” the caption of the post read.
Another video posted on the Mayor’s
What are NYC’s 3-K and Pre-K programs
3-K and Pre-K programs are free, high-quality, play-based early education for children turning three and four years old in 2026-2027. They provide 6 hours and 20 minutes of care and learning during the school year.
Who can apply?
3-K – children born in 2023
Pre-K – children born in 2022
The deadline to apply for NYC’s free Pre-K and 3-K programs ends at midnight on February 27. Pre-K and 3-K programs are open to all New York City residents, regardless of income or immigration status.
Keeping the immigrant population in mind, MySchools.nyc portal allows applicants to apply in English, Albanian, Arabic, Bengali/Bangla, Chinese, Haitian Creole, French, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Ukrainian, Urdu, and Uzbek.
Applications are not first-come, first-served and all families who apply by the February 27 deadline will receive an offer in May.
According to NYC Public Schools, Pre-K offers are expected on May 12, 2026, and 3-K offers on May 19, 2026.
What students get
The New York City 3-K and Pre-K programs also provide free breakfast and lunch to every student. These meals are part of the city’s universal free school lunch program and follow strict nutritional standards tailored for early childhood development.
NYC offers several settings for early childhood education:
3-K programs are offered in the following locations:
District Schools: Programs located within public elementary schools and overseen by the school’s principal.
NYCEECs: Community-based organizations that contract directly with the DOE to provide.
Pre-K Centers: These programs are dedicated exclusively to 3-K and Pre-K students. They are led and operated by DOE staff.
Family Childcare: These programs are located in a home setting by a licensed, qualified child care provider. 3-K students are served with mixed age groups. Students can enroll in a Family Day Care (Six children with one provider, with no more than two children under 24 months) or Group Family Day Care (12 children with one provider and one assistant, with no more than four children under 24 months).
In addition to the Pre-K and 3-K programs, NYC had also recently announced the launch of a Universal 2-K program, which will begin offering free childcare for two-year-olds in September 2026.
