Guides
How NYC 3-K admissions works
Last reviewed Jun 26, 2026 · Official source, current cycle · Verify dates and rules with the official source before acting.
For many NYC families, 3-K is the very first touch with the school-admissions machine. This page is the whole 3-K picture in one place: an overview of your options up top, then a self-contained section for each preschool world: the free public DOE 3-K process, the independent / private preschools, and the parochial / Catholic programs. Each tab has everything relevant to that type, including how moving or withdrawing works. The exact application and offer dates shift every cycle, so confirm the specifics for your child on the official source before acting.
What makes 3-K distinctive is its single-year eligibility window: unlike the grades around it, if you skip 3-K the year your child is first eligible, you can't enroll the following year. And for the current cycle, the city has committed that every family who applies by the deadline is guaranteed a 3-K offer. The catch is that the guaranteed offer may not be at your preferred or nearest program, so the strategy is to rank broadly and use waitlists to move toward a seat you want.
Your options, in one line each
- Public (DOE) 3-K: free, and for the current cycle on-time applicants are guaranteed an offer: you rank programs in one MySchools app, and a citywide match gives you a single offer ordered by each program's priorities (though it may not be at your top choice).
- Independent / Private preschool: paid, holistic, applied to directly and often about a year ahead, with waitlists at popular schools.
- Parochial / Catholic preschool: paid but typically the most affordable and accessible, applied to directly (often via FACTS) on a rolling basis.
(A handful of charter schools offer an early-childhood program where available; those run their own separate lottery, not MySchools, and are rare at the 3-K level.)
A few things that are true across all three
- You apply about a year early. To start 3-K in September, you apply during the prior part of the year. The exact rhythm differs by system (see each tab), but the year-ahead pattern is universal.
- They're separate, parallel systems, so you can hedge. A private or Catholic application never touches your DOE 3-K match, and vice versa. Running more than one in parallel only adds options.
- The guarantee is about getting an offer, not your top choice. For the current cycle, on-time public 3-K applicants are guaranteed an offer, but it may be at a farther or less-preferred program, so ranking broadly and keeping parallel private/Catholic options open still helps you land the seat you want.
- Nothing rolls over automatically. A 3-K seat (public or private) does not become a Pre-K or Kindergarten seat on its own. Each year is a fresh application.
The combined timeline (year before entry)
Roughly: research and tour in the fall, apply over the fall–winter, and hear back later in the cycle. DOE offers and waitlists come through MySchools; private and Catholic programs notify on their own (often earlier, often rolling) schedules. Exact dates change every year, so confirm the current-year calendar on each system's official source rather than relying on last year's.
Pick a school type below. Each section is self-contained, including how moving between programs works. A glossary and the official sources are at the bottom of the page.
Public (DOE) 3-K: how it works
This is where most NYC families start, and it runs on the same logic that returns at Pre-K, Kindergarten, middle, and high school: one MySchools application, a ranked list, and a single citywide match. Everything in this tab is specific to the free public system.
Who's eligible
Eligibility turns on one date. A child is eligible for free 3-K in the calendar year they turn three, with a December 31 birthday cutoff. As with any calendar-year cutoff (Pre-K and Kindergarten included), a child who turns three later in the year (even in December) can start this September before their birthday. The child must be a NYC resident. There is no admissions test, and 3-K is open to all eligible children, including students with IEPs and multilingual learners.
One timing trap is specific to 3-K: it is a single-year window. A child who does not attend 3-K the year they are first eligible generally cannot enroll in 3-K the following year; at that point they have aged into Pre-K instead. So if 3-K matters to you, this is the year to apply.
Where 3-K happens and schedule types
Free 3-K is offered in three kinds of settings, and you can rank programs across all of them on the same application:
- District Schools: 3-K classes inside some NYC public elementary schools. Not every elementary school has 3-K.
- Pre-K Centers: standalone sites staffed by NYC Public Schools that serve only early-childhood grades.
- NYCEECs (NYC Early Education Centers): programs run by community-based organizations under contract with the city. These are free 3-K seats too, just operated by a partner organization rather than NYCPS staff.
Schedules differ by hours and length of year. The School Day seat is free and open to all eligible children, runs about six and a half hours a day, and covers roughly September through June only. Some sites also offer Extended Day & Year seats (longer hours, year-round) that are free or low-cost but allocated by family income and need. Head Start is a separate, needs-based option offering longer hours. If you need full-year or longer-hours care, confirm the current hours and income thresholds on the official source; they change yearly.
How to apply and the match
You apply once, through MySchools, and rank your programs in your genuine order of preference. You can also apply by phone at 718-935-2009 or in person at a Family Welcome Center. Admission is not first-come, first-served: every application received by the deadline is treated the same, then ordered by each program's priorities, with a random number breaking ties within a tier.
priority group
An ordered tier (e.g. zoned+sibling, then zoned, then in-district) that decides who is considered first for a school's seats before the random number breaks ties.
3-K programs use priorities such as sibling priority and, at NYCEECs, existing-family status (a family already receiving services from that center is often the top tier), along with district priority. List sibling and program-history information when you apply so the priority is applied. After the match runs, you get a single offer.
The timeline this year
You generally apply the year before your child would start, with offers and then waitlists following later in the cycle. Exact dates change every cycle, so always confirm them on the official source rather than relying on last year's calendar.
Offers, waitlists, and the guarantee
You hold one accepted offer at a time, and for any program you'd have preferred you can add yourself to its waitlist in MySchools. Seats are added through the summer and fall, so waitlists move.
The guarantee, read this carefully. For the current cycle, the city has committed that every family that applies by the deadline is guaranteed a 3-K offer, with all main-round on-time applicants receiving an offer by the start of the school year (main-round offers for 2026–2027 were released in mid-May 2026). The honest caveat is about which seat, not whether you get one: the guaranteed offer may not be at your preferred or nearest program, since placement depends on seat availability in your area. In the 2026–2027 round about 70% of families got their top choice and about 85% got one of their top three. So rank broadly, including NYCEECs, in your genuine order of preference, and use waitlists to move toward a seat you want. Note that this on-time guarantee applies to the main round; late applicants are not guaranteed an offer. Confirm the current guarantee language and deadline on the official source before acting.
If your offer isn't a program you wanted
On-time main-round applicants are guaranteed an offer, but it may land at a farther or less-preferred program. If that happens, you can work toward a better seat:
- Use your waitlists in MySchools for any program you'd prefer over your offer; seats are added well past the initial offer date, so waitlists keep moving.
- Go to a Family Welcome Center to find programs that still have open seats.
- Accept your current offer while you wait: accepting doesn't remove you from other programs' waitlists, so you keep a seat in hand without giving up a move.
Transfers (Public 3-K)
Early childhood is light here: there's no formal mid-year "transfer" process like the older grades. You can withdraw at any time, and if you'd prefer a different program you can join its waitlist in MySchools and take a seat if one opens. The bigger point: a 3-K seat does not roll into Pre-K or Kindergarten. For next year you submit a fresh Pre-K application through MySchools, even to stay at the same program. Attending now can, however, help later by establishing sibling priority for a younger child, and at a NYCEEC being an existing family is often the top priority tier. (3-K is also distinct from the smaller 2-K programs, which run on their own track.)
Independent / Private preschool: how it works
Alongside the public system, NYC has a large world of private preschools, from small neighborhood programs to the early divisions of selective K–12 independents (coordinated by ISAAGNY, the Independent Schools Admissions Association of Greater New York). These are paid, applied to directly, and run on their own calendar entirely separate from MySchools.
How admissions works
- Apply directly to each school: there's no centralized match. Many selective programs use Ravenna; smaller preschools use their own forms.
- Programs are paid (tuition varies widely by school; many offer financial aid, confirm each school's figures and aid directly).
- For preschoolers the process is light-touch: a tour, a parent visit, and often a low-key playgroup observation rather than any test.
- Popular programs fill early and keep waitlists, so apply to several.
Timing
The independent calendar runs about a year ahead. Applications commonly open in the early fall for seats the following September, with tours and visits through the fall and decisions over the winter (the selective K–12 early divisions follow ISAAGNY's coordinated dates). Exact dates move each year, so confirm the current-year calendar with each school and on isaagny.org.
Transfers (Private)
There's no formal transfer mechanism; at this age you simply apply when a seat is open, and whether you get in depends on availability. You can withdraw at any time, and moving between private preschools works the same way: apply, visit, enroll if there's room. For next year, the path forward is a fresh Pre-K application, either to another private program or to DOE Pre-K through MySchools, which is the public backstop.
Parochial / Catholic preschool: how it works
Many Catholic parishes and dioceses (organized under the Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Brooklyn–Queens) run preschool programs alongside their elementary schools. They blend faith formation with early learning. Two very different paths hide under the same "Catholic preschool" label, so check which one a given school offers before you apply.
How admissions works
- First, check whether the 3-K seat is free or paid. Many Catholic academies and parishes host free, DOE-contracted 3-K for All seats (functionally an NYCEEC operating at a Catholic site) which you apply for through MySchools, on the public system's timeline and priorities, not by paying tuition. Other parochial preschools are paid, direct-apply programs. Confirm with each school which kind its 3-K is.
- For the paid programs, apply directly to each school: no centralized match. The Archdiocese commonly uses the FACTS platform for applications and tuition/financial-aid management; one application per school, per child.
- Paid programs' tuition is generally much lower than the selective independents, and meaningful financial aid is available (e.g., the Inner-City Scholarship Fund supports families with demonstrated need, open to students of all faiths at many schools).
- Paid-program admission is largely rolling and far less selective; after applying, call the school to schedule a visit and submit any requested documents. (Free DOE-seat sites follow the MySchools match, not rolling admission.)
Timing
There's no central calendar; applications often open in the fall and admit on a rolling basis, with neighborhood programs filling earliest. Confirm the current-year dates with each school or parish; the diocesan site (catholicschoolsny.org) lists participating schools.
Transfers (Catholic)
As with other tuition programs, a move is just applying when a seat is open, but Catholic preschools tend to have more flexibility and often admit on a rolling basis mid-year when space exists. You can withdraw at any time, and moving between Catholic programs works the same way: apply, visit, enroll if there's room. For next year you submit a fresh Pre-K application, at a Catholic school directly, or to DOE Pre-K through MySchools, which is always the backstop.
What most parents miss
Rank schools in your true order of preference — always.
Accepting your offer never hurts your waitlist position.
DOE, charter, and private are independent shots — run the ones that fit.
Glossary
- DOE / NYC Public Schools: the public system; runs the central 3-K match.
- MySchools: the public application portal (myschools.nyc).
- Family Welcome Center: DOE enrollment offices handling registration and placement.
- NYCEEC: a NYC Early Education Center, a community-based organization that runs free DOE 3-K seats under contract with the city.
- Priority group: the tier (e.g., sibling, existing-family, district) served before tie-breaking by a random number.
- Extended Day & Year: longer-hours, year-round seats allocated by family income and need.
- ISAAGNY: the association coordinating independent-school admissions dates.
- Ravenna: the main application platform for selective independent schools.
- FACTS: the application/financial platform used by Archdiocese Catholic schools.
Verify with the official source
Official source
NYC Public Schools, 3-K enrollmentThe DOE's 3-K hub, with eligibility, settings, schedule types, priorities, and offers. For the private and Catholic worlds, confirm current-year details at isaagny.org (independent) and catholicschoolsny.org (Catholic). For the current cycle, on-time applicants are guaranteed a 3-K offer (though not necessarily at a preferred program), but application dates, round structure, program priorities, and the guarantee language change each cycle, so always confirm the specifics for your child before acting.