Applications for 3-K and pre-K opened Jan. 14, and the deadline is Feb. 27. Mayor Zohran Mamdani is urging families to apply, saying the program could reshape affordability for thousands of families.
City leaders say this year is different. Under the previous administration, outreach was deprioritized, leaving thousands of empty seats — especially in neighborhoods with immigrant and low-income families who stood to benefit the most.
Mamdani and NYC Schools Chancellor Kamar H. Samuels stressed that families who apply by Feb. 27 are guaranteed a seat, with more support available for parents navigating the process.
Who is eligible for free 3-K and pre-K?
Children who live in NYC and are turning 3 or 4 years old by Dec. 31, 2026 are eligible for free, full-day 3-K or pre-K through the NYC public school system. In other words, if you have a child born in 2022 or 2023, you can apply now. This is regardless of factors such as your financial or immigration status.
What if a family works inflexible hours and no one can pick up during regular school hours?
The standard 3-K day is 6 hours and 20 minutes, starting at approximately 8 a.m. and ending around 2:30 p.m. Exact times can vary based on the school. Some centers offer “extended day and year” 3-K and pre-K programs, free or at a low cost. This offering can mean care for up to 10 hours a day year-round, including summers.
These programs do have extra eligibility requirements, where income must fall within this range:
| Family Size | Monthly Income Eligibility | Annual Income Eligibility |
| 2 | 6,156 | $73,869.56 |
| 3 | 7,604 | $91,250.63 |
| 4 | 9,053 | $108,631.70 |
| 5 | 10,501 | $126,012.80 |
| 6 | 11,949 | $143,393.80 |
| 7 | 12,221 | $146,652.80 |
Families also need to meet at least one of these criteria:
- You work an average of 10 or more hours per week
- You are in an educational or career training program
- You have been looking for work for up to 6 months
- You live in temporary housing
- You are attending services for domestic violence
- You are receiving treatment for substance misuse
What is the deadline to apply?
The last day to apply is Tuesday, Feb. 27. City officials warn that families who miss the deadline may not receive a spot. Offers for 3-K are given May 19.
How can families apply?
There are three ways to apply:
- Online at MySchools.nyc by creating an account and submitting an application
- By phone at 718-935-2009
- In person at an NYC Schools Family Welcome Center, where staff can help families with any tech issues during the online application process and answer questions
Is the online application available in a language other than English?
Yes. According to the NYC Schools 3-K enrollment website, the application at MySchools.nyc is available in 13 languages: English, Albanian, Arabic, Bengali/Bangla, Chinese, Haitian Creole, French, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Uzbek.
The NYC Schools website says interpretation services are also available in more than 200 languages for over-the-phone applications. You can ask questions and request information about admissions in any language when you call 718-935-2009.
What information is needed to apply online?
- To apply online, a parent or guardian needs an email address to sign up.
- First, the parent or guardian needs to create a profile at MySchools.nyc. The site will ask for a name, phone number and mailing address. (Families in temporary housing can check a box indicating this.) A secondary guardian can also be added.
- Then, the website will prompt the parent or guardian to add the child’s information to their account. They will need their child’s name, birth date, and address.
- From there, the parent or guardian can select a school that best fits for them based on the school district they live in.
- Once those options are selected, they will need to confirm if their child has additional accessibility needs, receives social services from the school they are applying to, or has siblings that may also attend the school.
What happens when you call the phone number to apply?
- You are directed to an automated system that offers the option to continue in four languages: English, Spanish, Mandarin and Cantonese.
- The automated system will read the phone number you’re calling from and ask if you’d like a link to the online application sent to your mobile phone. If you want to use a different number, you can type it in manually.
- The system sends the application link to that phone number.
- For further assistance, the system offers the following options:
Press 1 for assistance with the MySchools site.
Press 2 for questions about 3-K, Pre-K or kindergarten applications.
- When pressing 2, the system provides basic eligibility information. That includes a reminder that children born in 2023 can apply for 3-K and those born in 2022 can apply for pre-K. You’re also reminded that the deadline for both is Feb. 27, and that you can sign up to get email updates about 3-K, pre-K and kindergarten admissions by visiting schools.nyc.gov.
- Callers are also directed to the online application and told an overview of the process:
- Select “Get Started.”
- A verification email will be sent to the email address provided
- Click the link in the email and continue by completing the requested parent or guardian information
- After adding your eligible child to the dashboard, you can begin browsing programs and adding them to your application.
- There is no option to speak with a human representative over the phone. When you ask the automated system to speak to a representative, the system repeats the information above. Your best bet to speak to someone with any questions about the application process is a representative at one of the family welcome centers below.
Calling family welcome centers
The phone numbers are not advertised on the main link for family welcome centers the city directs you to. You’re given an option to make an appointment by emailing a center and including your child’s full name, date of birth and a brief summary of your needs.
We found another link that does include phone numbers for family welcome centers, but be aware: while the site is supposed to have been last updated Jan. 5, some of the phone numbers may contain outdated information. When Epicenter tried calling during operating hours, one of the voicemail messages dated back to the 2024 school year and gave different temporary site information. Most others did have a human you could speak with.
- Families cannot apply over the phone.
Representatives at family welcome centers clarified you cannot apply through them over the phone — the online application is still the only way to apply — but that you can call them or visit if you have questions about the process or tech issues after you’ve tried to apply. Representatives we spoke with also said an appointment is not necessary in order to visit a Family Welcome Center. You can simply walk in.
Where are family welcome centers located?
Families can visit these centers without an appointment. Staff can help with tech issues and answer questions about the application.
BRONX
District 7 Resource Center
501 Courtlandt Avenue, Room 106, Bronx, NY 10451
Districts served: District 7
Fordham Family Welcome Center
1 Fordham Plaza, 7th Floor, Bronx, NY 10458
Email: FordhamFWC@schools.nyc.gov
Districts served: Districts 7, 9, 10
Zerega Family Welcome Center
1230 Zerega Avenue, Room 24, Bronx, NY 10462
Email: ZeregaFWC@schools.nyc.gov
Districts served: Districts 8, 11, 12
BROOKLYN
89th Street Family Welcome Center
415 89th Street, 4th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11209
Email: 89thFWC@schools.nyc.gov
Districts served: Districts 13, 15, 20, 21
Ocean Family Welcome Center
1780 Ocean Avenue, 3rd Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11230
Email: OceanFWC@schools.nyc.gov
Districts served: Districts 16, 17, 18, 22
St. Marks Family Welcome Center
1665 St Marks Avenue, Room 116, Brooklyn, NY 11233
Email: StMarksFWC@schools.nyc.gov
Districts served: Districts 14, 19, 23, 32
MANHATTAN
District 1 Family Resource Center
166 Essex Street, New York, NY 10002
Districts served: District 1
333 7th Avenue Family Welcome Center
333 Seventh Avenue, 12th Floor, Room 1211, New York, NY 10001
Email: 333FWC@schools.nyc.gov
Districts served: Districts 1, 2, 4
Morningside Family Welcome Center
123 Morningside Drive, Room 235, New York, NY 10027
Email: MorningsideFWC@schools.nyc.gov
Districts served: Districts 3, 5, 6
Note: Closed from 1–1:30 p.m. Monday through Friday
QUEENS
Linden Family Welcome Center
30-48 Linden Place, 2nd Floor, Flushing, NY 11354
Email: LindenFWC@schools.nyc.gov
Districts served: Districts 25, 26
Queens Plaza North Family Welcome Center
28-11 Queens Plaza North, 3rd Floor, Long Island City, NY 11101
Email: QueensPlazaNFWC@schools.nyc.gov
Districts served: Districts 24, 30
Sutphin Family Welcome Center
90-27 Sutphin Boulevard, 1st Floor, Jamaica, NY 11435
Email: SutphinFWC@schools.nyc.gov
Districts served: Districts 27, 28, 29
STATEN ISLAND
Bay Street Family Welcome Center
365 Bay Street, Room 102, Staten Island, NY 10301
Email: BayStreetFWC@schools.nyc.gov
District served: District 31
Will my child be guaranteed a seat near our home if I apply on time?
When asked, Mamdani stopped short of guaranteeing a spot near every child’s home, though he said “we are doing the work to make sure that those seats will be far closer than they have been in the past.”
Why were there empty seats in past years?
Mamdani pointed to Eric Adams’ proposed budget cuts to the 3-K programs. He also cited the previous administration’s attempts to cut outreach and advertising about early childhood education.
What is this administration doing differently?
Mamdani said the city would “use every single tool at our disposal” to reach out to families who may benefit. That includes press conferences, ads in the back of taxis and asking other New Yorkers to help raise awareness.
How is the city responding to possible barriers such as the fears around ICE policy from immigrant parents of young children?
Mamdani pledged to remind every New Yorker of sanctuary city policies that ensure ICE agents are not allowed to enter a school property unless they can provide a warrant signed by a judge.
“I know that there are many families, especially undocumented families across the city and immigrant families at large, who have been unsure as to what their rights are,” he said. “In a moment such as this, we are going to do the work. Just as we’re reminding New Yorkers, they have until Feb. 27 to sign up for this program, we’re also going to remind them of the rights that they have.”
How much is the city committing to expanding access to 3-K?
Mamdani said more than $100 million was committed to expanding 3-K: “to ensuring that not only could we offer every child a seat that wanted one, but also that we could make it easier to actually take the city up on that offer.”
What’s next for universal child care in NYC?
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Mamdani highlighted a new state commitment announced by Governor Kathy Hochul to fully fund the first two years of a universal child care program while continuing to expand access to existing early childhood education. That larger program is still being rolled out.
Have questions about the application process or need help navigating it? Email us at hello@epicenter-nyc.com and let us know how it’s going.
