{"id":3893,"date":"2017-07-29T10:23:52","date_gmt":"2017-07-29T14:23:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/multi.nycnewsnetwork.com\/nyceducationnews\/?p=3893"},"modified":"2017-07-29T10:23:52","modified_gmt":"2017-07-29T14:23:52","slug":"mayor-de-blasio-announces-first-ever-3-k-offers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/nyceducationnews\/mayor-de-blasio-announces-first-ever-3-k-offers\/","title":{"rendered":"Mayor De Blasio Announces First-Ever 3-K For All Offers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Original Media Source:<\/strong> NYC Newswire<\/a><\/p>\n

Mayor Bill de Blasio, Schools Chancellor Carmen Fari\u00f1a, Deputy Mayor Richard Buery, and ACS Commissioner David Hansell today announced the first-ever offers for 3-K for All, starting the path to providing universal, free, full-day, high-quality early childhood education for every three-year-old child.\u00a0New York City is launching 3-K for All with the first year of a two-year expansion to create hundreds of new, free, full-day, high-quality seats in School Districts 7 in the South Bronx and 23 serving Brownsville, Ocean Hill,\u00a0and\u00a0East New York.<\/p>\n

Across School Districts 7 and 23, the City will serve approximately 1,600 three-year-olds this fall. Today, 793 families received an offer to a new 3-K for All seat at a DOE district school, NYC Early Education Center, or Pre-K Center. There are also 776 existing seats for three-year-olds in EarlyLearn programs. DOE is on track to provide a seat for every three-year-old living in Districts 7 and 23 that wants one by fall 2018.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the first time ever, hundreds of parents are receiving the news that their three-year-olds have received a free, high-quality seat in school, and an invaluable head start in life,\u201d said\u00a0Mayor Bill de Blasio.<\/b>\u00a0\u201cThis extra year of instruction will provide our children with a level of academic and social development that they cannot get later on, while at the same time, alleviating some of the strain New York City\u2019s working families face.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c3-K for All is a game-changer for our children and families, and I share the excitement of families receiving an offer today. At this age, children are sponges, and they will benefit tremendously from an additional, invaluable year of early education,\u201d said\u00a0Schools Chancellor<\/b>\u00a0Carmen Fari\u00f1a<\/b>. \u201cIn free, full-day, high-quality 3-K for All, our students will build their academic and social skills, and they will be ready to hit the ground running and thrive in pre-K, kindergarten, and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cToday is an exciting day on the path to 3-K for All, as families in Brooklyn and the Bronx receive the first-ever 3-K offer letters. Our investment in 3-K for All \u2013 building on our work to triple the number of free, full-day, high-quality pre-K seats \u2013 is going to make a real difference for the children and families of New York City, and we\u2019re working tirelessly to ensure school gets off to a great start in September,\u201d said\u00a0Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives Richard Buery<\/b>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are proud that our EarlyLearn programs will once again play a critical part in supporting 3-K for All, just as they have\u00a0for the City\u2019s historic Pre-K for All initiative. All children deserve access to high-quality early childhood education. 3-K for All will further transform early care and education and set our youngest New Yorkers up for healthy childhood development and lifelong success,\u201d said\u00a0ACS Commissioner David Hansell<\/b>.<\/p>\n

In total, 2,321 families applied to 3-K for All for fall 2017, which included 790 families living in Districts 7 and 23. Of the families living in those two districts, 84 percent received an offer for a 3-K for All seat, and 76 percent received an offer to one of their top three choices. All interested families, including those living outside District 7 and 23 boundaries, were encouraged to apply. DOE outreach specialists are continuing to work with families who received an offer throughout the summer, to ensure their children are able to attend 3-K for All this fall. Families without an offer are receiving information on EarlyLearn programs in their neighborhoods for which they may be eligible, and are receiving support from the DOE outreach team to find a program that meets their needs.<\/p>\n

By fall 2020, the City will expand free, full-day, high-quality\u00a03-K for All\u00a0to at least six additional school districts, for a total of eight districts. Each pair of districts will have a two-year expansion, with the last pair of districts starting in fall 2020 and having universal access in fall 2021. In order to achieve the vision of\u00a03-K for All\u00a0citywide, the City will need additional support from partners in the State and federal government.<\/p>\n

The\u00a03-K for All\u00a0expansion for Districts 7 and 23 costs $16 million in its first year, and builds on substantial Equity and Excellence for All educational investments in these two communities. The continuum includes the Universal Literacy program, which will bring dedicated reading coaches to every elementary school in Districts 7 and 23 this fall; the Single Shepherd program, which pairs every middle and high schooler in these districts with a dedicated guidance counselor or social worker to support them on the path to high school graduation and college enrollment; and College Access for All, through which every middle schooler in these districts will be able to visit a college campus.<\/p>\n

3-K for All\u00a0builds on the success of Pre-K for All \u2013 through which the City has more than tripled the number of four-year-olds enrolled in free, full-day, high-quality Pre-K \u2013 and is part of a broader effort to create a continuum of high-quality early care and education programs for New York City children from birth to five years old. Research has found every dollar invested in high-quality early education saves taxpayers as much as $13 long-term.<\/p>\n

There is extensive research supporting the transformative value of free, full-day, high-quality3-K for All, including the following:<\/p>\n