NYC UPK & 3-K, explained.

Every four-year-old in New York City is entitled to a free, full-day pre-K seat through the city's Universal Pre-Kindergarten program (UPK or "Pre-K for All"). Many three-year-olds are also entitled to a free 3-K seat, though 3-K availability still varies by district. Together, these two programs save a typical NYC family on the order of $20,000 a year per child.

This guide walks through what UPK and 3-K actually are, who qualifies, how the MySchools application works, the difference between a public school site and an NYC Early Education Center (NYCEEC), and how the programs interact with private daycare. We use plain language and the 2025 to 2026 application cycle as our reference.

UPK and 3-K: the basics

UPK is full-day (6 hours, 20 minutes per day) free pre-K for every four-year-old who lives in New York City, regardless of income, immigration status, or parents' work. 3-K is the same model for three-year-olds. The program has been universally available for four-year-olds across all five boroughs since 2017, and 3-K is now offered in every NYC school district, though seat availability is tighter in some districts than others.

Children can attend UPK and 3-K at three kinds of sites:

• District schools (DS). Pre-K classes housed in regular NYC Department of Education elementary schools.
• NYC Early Education Centers (NYCEEC). Community-based organizations that contract with the DOE to provide UPK and 3-K. Many NYCEECs were daycares for decades before being authorized to offer free pre-K. About 60 percent of UPK and 3-K seats are at NYCEECs.
• Pre-K Centers. DOE-run sites that exclusively serve pre-K students.

Who qualifies

• For UPK (Pre-K): children who turn 4 by December 31 of the program year, residing in any of the five boroughs.
• For 3-K: children who turn 3 by December 31 of the program year, residing in any NYC district.
• Income, immigration status, parents' work, and language do not affect eligibility for either UPK or 3-K.
• Families must apply through MySchools, the DOE's unified application portal, by the published deadline.

The school day

UPK and 3-K classroom hours are a free, full-school-day length: 6 hours and 20 minutes (typically 8:00 am to 2:20 pm, with site variation). Some NYCEEC sites offer additional free or low-cost extended-day care for families who qualify for the Child Care Resource and Referral system, allowing care from roughly 7:30 am to 6:00 pm. District school sites typically end at the school's regular dismissal time and do not offer DOE-funded extended day, but some have separate fee-based after-school options.

UPK vs daycare vs private preschool

For most NYC families, UPK is one of the largest cost savings of the entire year-by-year child care arc. Compare:

For working families: pair UPK or 3-K with extended-day care at a participating NYCEEC, or use a private daycare for before- and after-care wrap. A handful of NYCEECs offer both UPK and a daycare slot at the same site, allowing continuity of caregivers across the 7:30 am to 6:00 pm day.

The wrap-around math

Savings are similar in Manhattan and Queens. They are slightly smaller in lower-cost neighborhoods where the pre-UPK baseline was a $1,800-per-month daycare rather than a $2,800 private preschool.

How to apply

1. Create a MySchools account. myschools.nyc is the unified DOE application portal for UPK, 3-K, kindergarten, middle school, and high school.
2. Build your program list. MySchools shows every UPK and 3-K program citywide. Families list up to 12 choices in ranked order across district schools, NYCEECs, and Pre-K Centers.
3. Submit by the deadline. The 3-K and UPK application typically opens in January and closes in mid-March for the September start. Late applications are still processed, but late applicants compete only for whatever seats remain.
4. Receive your offer. Offers go out in May or early June. Families have approximately two weeks to accept or decline.
5. Register at the site. Bring the child's birth certificate, proof of residence, immunization record, and the DOE offer letter to the program. The program will complete registration.

Priority groups exist for both UPK and 3-K. The largest priority categories include siblings of already-enrolled students, families in temporary housing, and children with IEPs that require placement at a specific kind of site. District-of-residence priority applies for DOE district school programs.

Special programs within UPK

NYC offers specialized UPK and 3-K options that families can rank in MySchools:

• Dual-language UPK programs in Spanish, Mandarin, French, Bengali, and Arabic.
• 3-K Plus and Pre-K Plus extended-day programs at select NYCEECs.
• Family child care network sites where 3-K or UPK is offered in licensed family child care homes.
• Pre-K for All programs in Special Education Schools for children with significant IEP needs.

Common questions

Is UPK or 3-K required? No, both are voluntary. Families may keep their child in private preschool or daycare.

What if my child has a late-year birthday? The cutoff is December 31. A child who turns 4 between January and August of the program year is not eligible for UPK that year; they can apply the following year and use UPK the year before kindergarten.

Can my daycare host UPK? Only if the daycare is an NYCEEC contracted with the DOE. Independent daycares cannot offer free UPK on their own. Some NYC daycares apply to become NYCEECs to add UPK capacity.

What if we move mid-year? NYC residency at the time of enrollment establishes the seat. If a family moves out of the city, the seat is given up. If a family moves within NYC, MySchools can be used to apply for a transfer.

Where to go next

If you have a UPK- or 3-K-eligible child, start with MySchools and apply by the deadline. Browse our city directories to compare wrap-around daycare options around your top-choice UPK or 3-K site: Manhattan, Brooklyn, and our broader New York state guide.

For families weighing free UPK against high-end private preschool, see our companion guides: Preschool cost, explained, Preschool vs Pre-K, and the DaycareSquare cost pillar. The why daycares have waitlists piece explains how UPK and 3-K reshape the four-year-old waitlist citywide each fall.