Fall 2026 2-K Admissions Timeline
These dates are subject to change. Any changes will be announced and communicated directly to families.
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- 2-K Application Opens
- 2-K Application Closes
- 2-K Offer Release
Who Can Apply for 2-K?
All NYC children born in 2024 can apply for fall 2026 admissions, including children with disabilities, children with accessibility needs, children learning English, and students in temporary housing. Children do not need to be toilet trained to attend 2-K.
In most cases, children must be 2 years old to begin a 2-K program on the first day of school. Children who turn 2 later in the year may receive a pending offer to start at a later date.
Happening Now
If your child was born in 2024 and lives in New York City, they are eligible to apply for 2-K in fall 2026. See below for application and offer release dates. If you missed the application window, you can still participate in admissions by adding yourself to the waitlist. Please visit MySchools to search and join waitlists.
Which Neighborhoods Have 2-K?
Families can apply to any program across NYC. However, children have priority to attend 2-K in the district they reside in and we make every effort to place students close to their home, based on seat availability. Find your school district by entering your address or calling 311.
For the fall 2026 launch, 2-K will be available in these school districts:
- District
Neighborhoods
- District 6
- Washington Heights
- Inwood
- Hamilton Heights
- District 10
- Fordham
- Belmont
- Norwood
- Morris Heights
- Van Cortlandt Village
- Kingsbridge
- District 18
- District 23
- District 27
- Ozone Park
- South Ozone Park
- Richmond Hill
- Woodhaven
- Howard Beach
- The Rockaways
What Are 2-K Program Settings?
There are two settings for 2-K. You can choose to apply to any setting. Each setting offers the same high-quality early care and education to New York City's two-year-old children.
NYC Early Education Centers (NYCEECs)
These are community-based organizations (CBOs) with early childhood expertise. NYCEECs may include private schools, daycares, or other sites that partner with New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) to provide 2-K.
Family Child Care (Home-Based Programs)
Home-based programs, also known as family child care programs, offer 2-K in a home setting by a licensed, qualified, child care provider. Family Child Care 2-K is overseen by NYCPS and a Family Child Care Network. In this setting, 2-K children are served in mixed-age groups with other children from birth to three years old.
Questions to Ask
When speaking with program staff, consider asking about:
- Learning and Care
How will teachers learn about my child's unique interests, strengths, and needs? How will they ensure my child feels safe and cared for?
- Community
How do teachers work with families? How would you describe the community of staff and parents here?
- Support
How do teachers guide children's behavior? How do they support children who speak a language other than English?
- Growth
What are your program's greatest strengths, and what areas are you currently working to improve?
How to Apply for 2-K Programs
During the application period, apply one of three ways:
Apply online using MySchools
Easiest! Browse and favorite programs, add them to your application, answer a few simple questions, and click submit!
2-K admissions is not first come, first served. You can make changes to your application any time before the deadline. All applications submitted by this date are treated the same based on admissions priorities.
2-K Programs Serving Students with Disabilities and Medical Needs
Children with disabilities are welcome in all 2-K programs. If your child is enrolled in a 2-K program and needs additional supports or accommodations during the program day due to their disability, contact your child's provider first, as all providers are required to provide accommodations to children with disabilities and children suspected of having a disability. If you need additional support, please contact the Capacity Building-Family Engagement team at decefamilypartnerships@schools.nyc.gov or call 311 and ask for early childhood education. The City uses 311 to track and respond to requests for assistance, and inquiries will be directed to the appropriate contact within the NYCPS Division of Early Childhood Education (DECE).
How does NYCPS serve students with disabilities?
Children with Medical Needs
All early childhood education programs contracted with NYCPS are required to accommodate children's medical needs so they can fully participate in their programs.
- Family child care providers (home-based programs) are required to complete first aid and CPR training and will be trained to administer an epinephrine auto-injector or other device (e.g., EpiPen), as needed. Additionally, providers receive Medication Administration Training (MAT) when a child enrolled in the program requires medication during the program day.
- NYCEECs (community-based organizations that partner with NYCPS) are required to have staff on site trained in basic first aid, CPR, and epinephrine administration. Additionally, programs are required to have MAT-certified staff on site to administer medication to children who need it during the program day.
If your child is enrolled in a home-based program or community-based organization for 2-K and has medical needs during the program day, contact your child's provider first, as all providers are required to provide health accommodations. If your child requires specialized medical support beyond what the program can provide, the family may be asked to complete additional medical documentation, including consent for NYCPS to communicate with the child's healthcare provider, so that appropriate accommodations can be identified and arranged. You can find more information in the Health Supports section on the Early Childhood Learning page.
Frequently Asked Questions
I moved and need to change my address. What should I do?
If your family moves during the admissions process, please update your information right away in MySchools. If you need to update your application after the application closes, we may be able to help. Email us at ESEnrollment@schools.nyc.gov with your child's information and what changes you would like to make. Please note that your child's priority to attend certain programs may change if you move.
How do I apply for more than one child?
If you are applying to 2-K for more than one child and want your children to attend the same program, you can apply for all children at the same time.
- Create your MySchools account.
- Add all of your children to your MySchools dashboard.
- Begin the application for one of the children.
- At the end of the application, select the option to add all other eligible children.
- Submit your application. This will duplicate the application for the other linked children.
What if my family uses a child care voucher or receives child care assistance?
Families who use child care vouchers or receive child care assistance can still apply to 2-K. 2-K is a free program for families in New York City and does not require a voucher.