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By Jenna Sundel
News Reporter
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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on Friday that “everyone” is encouraged to apply for the city’s free child care program, and that his administration is “proud” that New York City is an “immigrant city.”
Mamdani held the roundtable to "get the word out" about the city's child care programs before the application window for free pre-K and 3-K closes. The deadline to apply is February 27.
“I want to be very clear that we are proud to be an immigrant city. We are proud of the incredible tapestry that is New York, the beautiful mosaic, as [former Mayor] David Dinkins would speak about, and this is one example of a city program that we are encouraging everyone to apply to, to see themselves as a part of and to know that we are going to use every single law that we have here to protect the health and safety of everyone who signs up,” Mamdani said at a roundtable on Friday.
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Why It Matters
Mamdani's comments come as President Donald Trump’s administration carries out a series of immigration enforcement operations in major cities.
Federal agents in a Minneapolis suburb took a 5-year-old boy, Liam Conejo Ramos—who was arriving home from preschool—to a detention facility on Tuesday, school officials and the family’s lawyer said.
Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that “ICE did NOT target a child.” She said ICE was arresting the child’s father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, who she said is from Ecuador and in the U.S. illegally. He fled on foot, “abandoning his child,” she added.
“For the child’s safety, one of our ICE officers remained with the child while the other officers apprehended Conejo Arias,” McLaughlin said, adding that parents can choose to be removed with their children or have them placed with a person of their choosing.
What To Know
Mamdani was asked about Ramos during the roundtable on Friday. “We have rights in this city, especially as it pertains to our sanctuary city policies. These are rights that I will take every opportunity to share with New Yorkers, because it’s just like, if you don’t know about universal child care, if you don't know about your rights, then you’ll never use them,” the Democratic mayor said.
New York City families with kids turning 3 or 4 years old this year can apply for free child care at myschools.nyc. Families can receive support by calling 718-935-2009 or by visiting one of the city’s 13 Family Welcome Centers. Applications are not accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, so families can apply at any time.
Earlier this month, Mamdani and Democratic New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced that they would partner to deliver free child care for 2-year-olds in New York City, in addition to strengthening the existing 3-K program with the goal of achieving universal care.
What People Are Saying
Mamdani, at the roundtable Friday: “I’ll tell you that the impact in our education system of this fear that has taken hold over the last few years, it can literally look like a decline in attendance rates at schools. What it can also look like is a permanent state of anxiety for New Yorkers, many of whom have shared this with me, especially undocumented New Yorkers, of whenever they leave their home."
What Happens Next
The deadline to apply for pre-K and 3-K in New York City is February 27.
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