Mayor Zohran K. Mamdani and Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that more than 2,000 children have received offers to join New York City's inaugural 2-K class, marking the launch of the city's first publicly funded program for 2-year-olds.
The effort attracted more than 5,700 applications for just over 2,000 available seats. Each free 2-K seat could save families an average of $26,000 a year in child care costs.
"The overwhelming demand for 2-K shows what families across the city have known for years," said Mayor Mamdani. "New Yorkers need free, universal child care, and they need it now."
Among those receiving offers, 82 % were matched with one of their top three program choices and more than half received their first-choice placement
The program builds on the city's existing Pre-K and 3-K initiatives, helping working parents while giving children access to early education before entering preschool and kindergarten.
"Starting a family while working full-time was nearly impossible for me, which is why I've made it my mission to make sure no parent has to choose between their career and their children," said Gov. Hochul.
Strong demand during the first enrollment period is expected to shape future growth of the program. Community outreach leading up to the application deadline included public events, multilingual awareness campaigns and partnerships to help families learn about eligibility and enrollment.
Families who did not receive an initial offer will be contacted about waitlist opportunities as additional seats become available. Parents may also continue joining waitlists even if they did not apply during the first enrollment period.
Later this year, the city plans to announce details for the program's 2027 expansion, which is expected to serve about 12,000 children, including families on Staten Island, as it continues expanding access to affordable early childhood education.
