Families of children born in 2024 can now apply for 2-K with eligible providers. Applications close June 26, and offers will be released Aug. 4.
On Friday, the city released its initial list of 2-K programs on the MySchools portal page. They include over 550 home- and center-based early childhood programs across eligible school districts.
A total of 2,000 seats will be available during this first round. Most 2-K seats will be in full day programs and will now operate from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., 260 days a year. City officials have said this shift from shorter days and the traditional 180 day school calendar is to accommodate working parents.
Families can apply directly through their MySchools account, call 718-935-2009 or visit a Family Welcome Center for help.
“2-K is about giving every child the strongest possible start while giving parents the freedom and stability they deserve,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a May 29 statement. “As applications open, we encourage every family in these first communities to explore their options, apply through MySchools and take advantage of this historic investment in New York families.”
New Yorkers can also vote for the official 2-K jingle through 10 p.m. on June 3, choosing from five finalists selected by Cardi B and Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Districts included
Applying families may live anywhere in New York City, but the program is being rolled out in only five districts, and children receive priority for seats in their home district. The districts are:
- School District 6: Washington Heights, Inwood and Hamilton Heights
- School District 10: Fordham, Belmont, Norwood, Morris Heights, Van Cortlandt Village and Kingsbridge
- School District 18: Canarsie and Remsen Village
- School District 23: Brownsville and Ocean Hill
- School District 27: Ozone Park, South Ozone Park, Richmond Hill, Woodhaven, Howard Beach and the Rockaways
City officials said they selected the districts based on economic need, anticipated child care demand, access gaps and provider capacity and readiness. According to an Epicenter NYC analysis of demographic data, the selected school districts serve large populations of Black and Latino families. But several districts with high economic needs were not included, such as District 9 in the South Bronx and District 19 in East New York.
Learn more at an information session
Families can join city education officials at an upcoming virtual information session covering 2-K admissions, where they’ll walk parents through the application process and answer questions.
The following Zoom sessions are available, conducted in English with interpreters for different languages. They’ll contain similar information, so there’s no need to attend more than one:
- June 3 from 1 to 2 p.m. (Interpretation provided in Arabic, Bangla, Spanish and Urdu)
- June 11 from 6 to 7 p.m. (Interpretation provided in Albanian, Haitian Creole, French and Uzbek)
- June 17 from 6 to 7 p.m. (Interpretation provided in Bangla, Haitian Creole, Korean and Mandarin)
- June 25 from 6 to 7 p.m. (Interpretation provided in Russian, Cantonese, Spanish and Ukrainian)
Here is a list of the phone numbers to call for interpretation in the languages listed above. At the time of the meeting, click here.
Zoom log-in information:
Webinar ID: 961 3680 8818
Passcode: 123456
US: +16469313860
Conference Line: 96136808818#
Passcode: 123456#
For families who can’t attend or want to learn more, visit the city’s 2-K webpage.
