The New York City Department of Education (NYC Ed dept) has announced it will begin offering classes to 3-year-olds under an expansion of the City’s 3-K for All program.
The government’s gradual expansion would see additional classrooms, which experts notes would provide more opportunities for mixed-age groups and inclusion of preschoolers with special needs.
Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYC Ed dept schools Chancellor Richard Carranza announced the programs would serve 26,000 3-year-olds in public preschool, in participating districts during the 2020-2021 school year, which is more than most states.
The Mayor said:
Every family should be able to give their child the world, and expanding 3-K will help us set even more of our students on the path to success.
He added that 3-K and Pre-K for all programs are unlocking the potential of every child and creating more opportunities for families.
The NYC Ed Dept Chancellor, in his statement, thanked the Mayor for his leadership and support with the enhancement of early childhood education in the state.
He further noted only California, Texas, and Illinois enroll more 3-year-olds in their statewide public pre-K programs, while New Jersey is a close fourth with about 21,000.
Notably, according to the Mayor’s office, the 3-K for All program is based on district need and space availability. The program currently operates in 12 districts across the City and will expand to a total of 16 areas this fall, including School District 14 that includes Williamsburg and Greenpoint.
NYC Ed Dept challenges
The NYC Ed Dept noted they face various challenges. Reportedly last year, it was more challenging to add classrooms and teachers, especially since many preschoolers in the city were served in community-based centers, not schools.
Also, Officials were accused of “underfunding” early-childhood education because teachers in community-based programs that contract with the city earned lower salaries than those in public schools.
The NYC Ed Dept also recently reported a deal with unions representing those teachers that creates parity in salaries across the two sectors. In November, non-union pre-K teachers also received a raise.
NYC Ed Dept Council Member Antonio Reynoso, who represents Williamsburg, said she was excited about the fact that the US is home to one of the most ambitious childcare initiatives in the nation.
She noted to be proud of the fact that we are home to one of the most ambitious childcare initiatives in the nation.
Centers to track state policies on infants
The NYC Ed Dept noted a new early childhood research-to-policy initiative, based at the University of Texas at Austin, will launch on informing state-level decisions that affect families with infants and toddlers.
Notably, the Prenatal-to-Three Policy Impact Center will produce a “roadmap” that identifies the extent to which states have adopted policies that focus on young children’s health and well-being. Similar to the way the National Institute for Early Education Research ranks state-funded pre-K programs.
Additionally, the K-12 educators, the center will provide insight on how policies in their states support family stability and young children’s access to the opportunities shown to support learning and development in the years before they enter school.
