NYC to Add 10,000 Free 2K Seats in Fall 2027

New York City will add 10,000 free seats for 2-year-olds in fall 2027, Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Monday, expanding the 2K program to all five boroughs. The city also plans to add seats in districts already served, bringing the planned total to more than 12,000, according to city officials. The expansion will bring 2K to every school district in the Bronx and to Staten Island, which was excluded from the first year. Additional districts in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens are also included. The accounts differ on the expansion’s district reach: two describe the program as covering 17 of the city’s 32 districts, while another says 23. The borough-wide additions are consistent across the announcements. The program began this September with about 2,000 seats in five districts. More than 5,700 families applied, city officials said, with about 3,700 applicants placed on waitlists after the first offers were announced in August. The city has said a free seat saves families an average of $26,000 a year in childcare costs. To prepare for the next phase, New York City plans to survey providers already under contract and seek information from prospective...