Photo Courtesy of Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
According to Mayor de Blasio, 3-K for All will build on the success of Pre-K for All initiative.
By Forum Staff
Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday announced 3-K for All – a plan to provide universal, free, full-day, high-quality early childhood education for every 3-year-old child regardless of family income.
According to the administration, 3-K for All will build on the success of Pre-K for All – through which the City has more than tripled the number of 4-year-olds enrolled in free, full-day, high-quality Pre-K – and is part of a broader effort to create a continuum of high-quality early care and education programs for children of the five boroughs from birth to 5 years old.
“As a lifelong educator, I understand just how much and how fast our youngest children can learn – a level of learning that you can’t make up later on. In free, full-day, high-quality 3-K, our students will build their vocabulary, a love of learning, and start to develop the social and behavioral habits they need to succeed in pre-K and kindergarten,” said Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña. “It’s an essential step in building Equity and Excellence for All across the five boroughs, and we are hitting the ground running with the lessons that we’ve learned from the Pre-K for All expansion.”
De Blasio indicated on Monday that the City is starting the path to 3-K for All for fall of 2017, aiming to serve over 11,000 3-year-olds in new seats. This includes the first year of a two-year expansion to create hundreds of new seats in District 7 in the South Bronx and District 23 in Brownsville, Brooklyn. By fall of 2018, the City has pledged to have a seat for every 3-year-old living in those districts that wants one, and project we will serve 1,800 children in those two districts – triple the number enrolled today. At the same time, we will help families enroll in existing seats for 3-year-olds in the city and provide additional support and enhance quality for over 11,000 three-year-olds currently enrolled in those will also strengthen existing programs serving children from six-weeks-old through 3 years old.
By fall of 2020, the City said it will expand free, full-day, high-quality 3-K to at least six additional school districts, for a total of eight districts. Each pair of districts will have a two-year expansion, with the last pair starting in fall of 2020 and having universal access in the fall of 2021. 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, de Blasio noted.
“The research is clear – investment in early childhood education reaps benefits for students, families and communities for years to come,” the mayor added. “Using the successful model we developed for Pre-K for All, we are doubling down with free, full-day, high-quality 3-K for All for our 3-year-olds. This extra year of education will provide our children with a level of academic and social development that they cannot get later on, while at the same time, alleviating some of the strain New York City’s working families face today.”
