Mayor Bill de Blasio recently announced plans to bring free, full-day, early childhood education to every 3-year-old in NYC.
On the heels of the successful Pre-K for All program, 3-K for All will roll out in the fall of 2017 in District 7 in the South Bronx and District 23 in Brownsville. By 2018 it is expected that there will be a seat for every 3-year-old in those districts; the program is projected to serve 1,800 children.
Ultimately, 3-K for All aims to serve more than 11,000 3-year-olds with a high-quality, free, full-day education. By the fall of 2020 the 3-K for All program will expand into at least six more school districts.
3-K for All is part of the Mayor’s Equity and Excellence for All agenda, which aims to ensure that 80 percent of students graduate high school on time and two-thirds of graduates are college ready, by 2026. Like Pre-K for All, 3-K for all will be a unified system of schools and child care centers. An outreach team will help encourage enrollment and there will teacher training, family engagement, and social work support, much like in the Pre-K for All program.
“The research is clear—investment in early childhood education reaps benefits for students, families, and communities for years to come. 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,” said Mayor de Blasio during the announcement. “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 today.”
RELATED:
