Most of the seats in the city's 2-K program that is scheduled to launch this fall will be part of an all-day program, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced on Thursday.
The mayor said the majority of the first 2,000 2-K seats will run from 8:00am to 6:00pm, 260 days a year, replacing the traditional 180-day school calendar. The shift reflects City Hall's commitment to make it easier on parents who have long relied on a patchwork of child care strategies.
"And we know that there are too many parents for whom the traditional model of childcare has forced them to rush out of the office, has forced them to pray that their stars will align so that they will actually be able to pick up their child in time, only to then have to work sometimes a double shift, where they finish out the end of their day with their child and providing them childcare at the same time," Mamdani said at a press conference in Brownsville.
State Senator Roxanne Persaud said she's often heard from constituents that say they can't work or go to school full time because of constraints with child care.
"Today we are letting the parents know that they have an option," she said. "Child care is an important step in elevating families out of poverty, elevating families so that communities are better."
Families in school districts 18 and 23, which covers Canarsie, Remsen Village, Brownsville and Ocean Hill, can apply to the coveted spots on June 2.
To ensure flexibility and sustainability, child care providers may still offer a 2-K program aligned to the school calendar, and full-day and full-year care is not a requirement for a family to accept a seat, officials said.
The option for the expanded day will change the lives of many working parents, said state Senator Jabari Brisport.
"What we are announcing today is the start of something truly magical, truly beautiful, expansive, and I cannot wait to be a partner, a state partner, as we continue to build this out," said Brisport, who is the chair of the Committee on Children and Families in Albany.
It is easier to build strong children than it is to repair broken men, said state Assemblymember Latrice Walker.
"And the earlier we take a step towards that goal, the better off our return on investments are," she said.
