Thousands of parents received letters Thursday offering free full-day prekindergarten seats for their children this coming school year.
Nearly 20,000 full-day spots inside public school buildings have been spoken for, and about 25,000 more will come online through community programs. The Department of Education is looking for more rooms in public schools as well.
Mayor Bill de Blasio urged parents who did not yet get matched to a program of their choice to keep applying to as many programs that suited them, whether they be neighborhoods near home or work. Parents have until June 26.
“Any options that work for you, apply for,” said de Blasio at the Floyd Bennett School (P.S. 203) in Flatlands. “If more options then come up thereafter, you can keep applying. It’s a rolling process.”
About 37 percent of the applications weren’t matched to a program, but 45 percent were matched to their first choices. There was a 35 percent increase in applications for programs run by DOE.
For assistance, parents can also walk into their local public schools and ask to speak to a pre-K program coordinator.
To apply online, go to NYC.gov/prek. For alerts and information by text, send “prek” to 877877.
