Photo Courtesy of Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office
De Blasio and Carranza also visited classrooms at PS 128 in Manhattan on Monday.
By Forum Staff
Nearly four-dozen new pre-K Dual Language programs—including the City’s first in French, Haitian-Creole, Hebrew, and Japanese—will open across NYC this fall, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Monday.
According to the City Department of Education, at the start of the 2019-20 school year, there will be 107 programs throughout all five boroughs, more than triple the original 30 in 2015.
The 47 new programs announced on Monday include 16 in Queens (bringing the total to 26), six in the Bronx, 16 in Brooklyn, eight in Manhattan, and one on Staten Island. In addition to the new French, Haitian-Creole, Hebrew, and Japanese programs, the DOE will continue to offer programs in Bengali, Chinese, Italian, Russian and Spanish. In the 2019-20 school year, these programs will be in 103 schools, Pre-K Centers, and New York City Early Education Centers in every borough, with four sites offering Dual Language in more than one language.
According to the administration, Dual Language classes are comprised of 50 percent children whose home language is the target language of the program and 50 percent English-proficient students. Instruction is held in both languages, and students in pre-K Dual Language classes may continue on the Dual Language track in Kindergarten and beyond.
In addition to the City’s pre-K Dual Language programs, there are currently 545 bilingual programs across every borough for students in grades K-12. Approximately 200 bilingual programs have opened or expanded since the 2013-14 school year. Bilingual programs are available in schools citywide in 13 languages, serving approximately 40,000 students.
“New York City’s youngest learners gain so much in 3-K and Pre-K classrooms across the City, and I encourage all eligible families to apply,” said Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza. “I’m also excited to announce that we’re opening 47 new Dual Language programs, where our students are learning to speak two languages – one of the greatest gifts there is. More New York City kids will get an early start on becoming multilingual, multicultural, and ready to succeed in our diverse world.”
Applications for free, full-day 3-K for All and Pre-K for All seats opened on Monday. Families can find early childhood programs and apply online at MySchools.nyc. Families can also apply over the phone at (718) 935-2009, or in person at a Family Welcome Center. All New York City families with children born in 2015 can apply for free, full-day pre-K in the 2019-20 school year.
The 3-K application also opened on Monday and will remain open until May 3. Programs in districts 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 16, 19, 23, 27, and 31 will be available for families when the application launches. Programs in the newly announced districts, 8 and 32, will be added to the application beginning in March. All New York City families with children born in 2016 can apply for the 2019-20 school year; families residing in district will receive priority. Families can find out their school district by calling 311 or visiting schools.nyc.gov/find-a-school.
