
“More than half of all school districts” in New York will get 1,000 more 3-K seats by fall 2026, announced Mayor Zohran Mamdani. This will push the total number of 3-K slots above 40,000.
The 3-K program offers free, full-day education to three-year-olds before they start kindergarten. Any parent in New York City, regardless of occupation, income, or immigration status, is eligible to enrol their children in the program.
The Mamdani administration said the new 1,000 seats will welcome students from 56 ZIP codes across the five boroughs — Five zip codes in the Bronx, six on Staten Island, eight in Brooklyn, 16 in Manhattan and 21 in Queens.
In an Instagram post, Mamdani said, “Kids grow fast, and so do we. This fall, we’re adding more than 1,000 seats for universal 3-K in 56 zip codes.”
“Childcare will be more accessible and affordable across all five boroughs,” he added.
“For too long, families were promised universal 3-K but offered seats miles away — forcing them to pay out of pocket for child care or leave the city,” the NYC Mayor said.
“Today we’re making a new commitment: government can deliver real relief from the affordability crisis. By making 3-K truly universal, we’re building a city where every New Yorker can raise a family,” he said.
Arshdeep Kaur is a Senior Content Producer at Mint, where she reports and edits across national and international politics, business and culture‑adjacent trending stories for digital audience. With five years in the newsroom, she strives to balance the speed and rigor of fast‑moving news cycles and longer, context‑rich explainers. <br><br> Before joining LiveMint, Arshdeep served as a Senior Sub‑Editor at Business Standard and earlier as a Sub‑Editor at Asian News International (ANI). Her experience spans live news flows, enterprise features, and multi‑platform packaging. <br><br> At Mint, she regularly writes explainers, quick takes, and visuals‑led stories that are optimized for search and social, while maintaining the publication’s standards for accuracy and clarity. She collaborates closely with editors and the audience team to frame angles that resonate with readers in India and abroad, and to translate complex developments into accessible, high‑impact journalism. <br><br> Arshdeep's academic training underpins her interest towards policy and markets. She earned an MA in Economics from Panjab University and holds a Post‑Graduate Diploma in Broadcast Journalism from the India Today Media Institute (ITMI). This blend of economics and broadcast storytelling informs her coverage of public policy, elections, macro themes, and the consumer‑internet zeitgeist. <br><br> Arshdeep is based in New Delhi, where she tracks breaking developments and longer‑horizon storylines that shape public discourse.