Amid Mamdani outreach, applications for NYC 3-K, pre-K programs running short of last year's tally

Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News on Feb 25, 2026

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NEW YORK — The 75,000-plus families that have signed up for New York City’s free 3-K and pre-K programs are still thousands short of last year’s final count with only two days to go until the deadline, the Daily News has learned.

The city received 95,000 total applications last year, a figure that has held relatively steady over the last three years. Applications are not first-come, first-served, so it’s not uncommon for parents to register closer to the deadline.

“For the more than 75,000 families that have already applied, we say thank you,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said during a news conference in Morningside Heights.

“You have until February 27 if you want to join them.”

The mayor said he expects to “see more and more families join them” in the last days of the application window.

A City Hall spokesperson added the figure was released on a delay and in line with data last year. Applications opened Jan. 14., with nearly two-thirds of submissions so far made in the first two weeks.

But the numbers raise questions about how much Mamdani’s best efforts to get the word out about free child care will move the needle on the number of families who apply.

As part of his affordability agenda, Mamdani ran for mayor on a major expansion of universal child care. That includes fixing 3-K, which has struggled to attract families in some neighborhoods — even as waitlists have proliferated in other areas of the city.

Since his election, the mayor has worked with Gov. Kathy Hochul to open more 3-K programs closer to where families live, aimed at making sure parents not only will apply but ultimately accept the city’s offers.

At the same time, Mamdani has looked to promote existing programs by advertising on city streets and public transit — even the ferry system, posting on social media with YouTube personality Ms. Rachel and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, and holding frequent news conferences on the topic.

The administration has also tapped local organizations to host application workshops and do outreach, especially with families wary of government such as immigrants. The city is also coordinating with faith leaders and elected officials in targeted neighborhoods, and staff in homeless shelters to host registration events.

The deadline to apply to 3-K and pre-K is Friday. After the deadline, families can continue to sign up for preschool by adding their names to waitlists or being offered a program with available seats.

“The effort looks different in different types of communities,” Emmy Liss, Mamdani’s top child care official, told the Daily News in an interview this month, “but we’re really focusing on that overall commitment that there is a 3-K seat for every family and that it’s accessible to them.”

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