By Bill Parry
The city plans to build on the success of its Pre-K for All program by expanding free, full-day childhood education to include 3-year-old children, Mayor de Blasio announced Monday.
Beginning this fall, a pilot program, dubbed “3-K for All,” will serve 11,000 3-year-olds with further expansion planned for 2018.
“The research is clear. Investment in early childhood education reaps benefits for students, families and communities for years to come,” de Blasio said. “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 each day.”
The expansion would start in districts in Brooklyn and the South Bronx, but it is unclear when the expansion would reach Queens. The mayor said the full expansion would take four years.
Several studies have found that students who attend two years of preschool compared to one are better prepared for kindergarten, and that they perform significantly higher on academic and social measures, officials said.
“Early childhood education plays a vital role in our communities for working parents who save on childcare, can work more hours and have piece of mind that their child is in a safe environment; for the academic performance of our young children, which improves with early education; and for educators whose teaching is supplemented by these programs,” City Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras-Copeland (D-East Elmhurst) said. “In addition, every dollar we invest in early education, we save two- and threefold in social services down the road.”
The mayor said creating a seat for 62,000 3-year-olds would require about $700 million from the state and federal governments.
“We will build a coalition to put together whatever state and federal resources we need to bring this to full fruition,” de Blasio said.
A spokeswoman for Gov. Andrew Cuomo said “we welcome the mayor’s efforts and will review his proposal. The mayor said he has not raised the proposal with the Trump administration.”
City Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights) spoke from experience.
“3-K for All is an exciting development that will benefit thousands of New York City families,” Dromm said. “As a former daycare center teacher and director, I know that a quality early childhood education provides students with the foundation they need to succeed for the rest of their lives.”
According to the New York City Center for Economic Opportunity, delivering 3-K for All to every three-year-old in the city will provide every eligible family an extra year of education, saving them an annual cost of more than $10,000.
“Getting our children into a classroom environment at the earliest age possible will help ensure they are well-prepared to step into the role of a full-time student,” City Councilman Donovan Richards (D-Laurelton) said. “This will also help ease the pressure on parents, who can struggle to find babysitters or daycare, while they are at work. We look forward to seeing every three-year-old in New York City benefit from this ambitious plan.”
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparr
