3-K For All expanding to four boroughs

NEW YORK—Mayor Bill de Blasio, Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza, and Deputy Mayor Thompson earlier this week joined students, families, and educators from across the City for the first day of the 2018-19 school year.
According to a release from the Mayor’s Office, Mayor de Blassio, the Chancellor, and Deputy Mayor Thompson visited the first-ever day of 3-K for All in Queens, at PS 377 in Ozone Park. This school year, free, full-day, high-quality 3-K is expanding to serve 5,000 students at 187 sites in six districts across four boroughs (Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx, and Brooklyn) – up from 1,500 students last year at 47 sites in District 7 in the Bronx and District 23 in Brooklyn.
“For too long, New York City was divided. Some people could afford an early start and others couldn’t,” said Mayor de Blasio. “That’s why we made early childhood education a priority from day one and why we’ve worked to expand our programs to reach every child regardless of zip code or income level. There’s nothing more important than unlocking the future of our youngest New Yorkers and we’re excited to welcome our students for what will be another successful school year,” the Mayor said.
As Chancellor Carranza begins his first full school year in New York City, 3-K for All is expanding ahead of schedule and the Equity and Excellence for All initiatives are now reaching every New York City public district elementary, middle, and high school. This is also the first school year of the Chancellor’s streamlined leadership and support structure, which will align supports, bring resources closer to schools, and create a clear line of accountability from each classroom to the Chancellor.
“Welcome back to our 1.1 million students and their families, and our 145,000 educators and school staff – from Wakefield to Tottenville, and Rosedale to Washington Heights,” said Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza. “I couldn’t be more excited to spend my first full school year in New York City with such talented and passionate students and adults, and I’m looking forward to an incredible year.”
According to the Mayor’s Office, the Equity and Excellence for All agenda, now starting its third full school year, is driving progress across all schools so that by 2026, 80 percent of students graduate high school on time, and two-thirds of graduates are college-ready. The agenda builds on record-high graduation rates, record-high college enrollment rates, record-low dropout rates, and a high-quality pre-K seat for every New York City 4-year-old who wants one.
Across the Equity and Excellence for All initiatives, the City is making progress and meeting or surpassing goals. Some highlights entering the 2018-19 school year include:
3-K for All is the nation’s most ambitious effort to provide universal free, full-day, high-quality early childhood education for every three-year-old. Research has found every dollar invested in high-quality early education saves taxpayers as much as $13 long-term.
This is the second year of an expedited 3-K for All expansion. Each community school district will have a two-year expansion, offering universal access in the second year. The City is outpacing its initial rollout plan – 3-K is in six districts in 2018-19 compared to the originally announced four, and will be in 12 districts by fall 2021 compared to the originally announced eight.
By fall 2021, the City will support over 19,000 3-K seats across 12 districts in all five boroughs. At scale, the cost will be $203 million across the 12 City-funded districts. In order to achieve the vision of 3-K for All citywide, the City will need additional support from partners in the State and federal government.
This school year, over 1,800 DOE district schools, NYC Early Education Centers, EarlyLearn programs, and Pre-K Centers are offering free, full-day, high-quality pre-K. Families can continue to find pre-K seats by calling 311 or visiting nyc.gov/prek.