How hard is it to get a 3-K seat in your NYC ZIP code? Check this map.

Demand for free preschool seats for 3-year-olds exceeds supply in nearly half of New York City ZIP codes, according to education department data obtained by Gothamist.

Parts of the city with the biggest shortages of 3-K seats include Bath Beach in southern Brooklyn, where there were 633 applicants for 234 seats; Parkchester in the Bronx, where there were 420 applicants for 162 seats; and central Staten Island, where there were 432 applicants for 253 seats.

However, other neighborhoods faced the opposite problem: Supply outpaced demand. There were hundreds more 3-K seats than applicants available in a swath of north Brooklyn and on the Lower East Side. There were 52,766 seats available for a total of 41,622 applications for 3-K citywide – a surplus of more than 10,000.

The data, which the education department shared with city councilmembers ahead of Monday’s hearing, highlighted seemingly contradictory problems with the 3-K program. There is fierce competition for seats in certain neighborhoods, while other neighborhoods display an apparent lack of awareness or interest in the free childcare program. Experts noted that most vacant slots tend to be in low-income communities, often for extended day seats that run through the summer and require a more onerous application process that checks work status and income eligibility.

The stakes are high for parents, who face a daunting childcare bill if they don’t participate in the free 3-K program.

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Rebecca Bailin, executive director of New Yorkers United for Childcare, noted that Mayor Adams' proposal to slash early childcare funding by $170 million in January has exacerbated the anxiety surrounding parents' finances. The proposed cut comes on the heels of the Adams administration's previous reductions to pre-K and 3-K, which totaled $283 million, according to the Independent Budget Office.

“New Yorkers I've spoken to have made their family planning decisions and to stay in New York because they thought that they had the guarantee of free 3-K and are now faced with the possibility that they will not get access to that to program, meaning they'll have to spend $20, $30, or $40,000 a year per child,” Bailin said.

Councilmember Lincoln Restler said at an education budget hearing on Monday that it was unacceptable that many neighborhoods lacked enough 3-K seats for parents who wanted them.

“What are we doing to expand seats?” he asked. He wondered whether Adams’ proposed cuts would exacerbate the problems highlighted in the data covering the 2023-24 school year.

“Is anything being done to address the existing gaps where we’re clearly not meeting the demand?” Restler said.

Since Adams took office, he has criticized the 3-K program as mismanaged and dependent on federal funding that is running out. He said he can save taxpayer money by eliminating vacant 3-K slots and redistributing seats to better meet demand.

“You may as a parent want a particular program. That program may be filled up. You may not be able to get that program which is half a block away. We will always endeavor to give you a placement as close as possible,” Deputy Chancellor Dan Weisberg said at the hearing. "What we are trying to do is make sure that there are seats for every child who needs one."

Schools Chancellor David Banks said at the hearing that he is lobbying the mayor to back down from some of his proposed cuts.

“I am fighting like heck to make sure that those cuts are restored, and I have great confidence that in the coming weeks we will have really good news around early childhood,” he said.

Some lawmakers argued that the vacant seats in certain communities doesn’t reflect excess capacity, but a failure by the Adams administration to inform residents about the program, which can save parents tens of thousands of dollars in childcare costs.

“We have these opportunities, the city should be investing so much more of their time and resources into ensuring that people know they can qualify and then also just making that process easier for them,” said Councilmember Jennifer Gutiérrez of Brooklyn.

More data on 3-K is likely coming soon. The Adams administration said it will release an analysis by a consulting firm on the city’s preschool needs in the next few weeks.