Mayor Mamdani Announces $67.5M to Expand Specialized Pre-K in NYC — 26 Schools Across 14 Districts to Serve ~250 Preschoolers This Fall

Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a $67.5 million city investment to expand specialized pre-K and early intervention services for children with disabilities, funding new preschool specialized programs at 26 schools across 14 school districts and hiring staff to speed evaluations and related services starting this fall. Source: https://youtu.be/oByOpqcFYOQ?t=86

# What’s happening
– City government approved a $67.5 million investment to expand pre-K specialized services.
– The New York City Department of Education (DOE) will implement the expansion.
– Expansion begins this fall; initial seats will serve the upcoming school year.

# Why it matters
– Families of preschoolers with IEPs face shorter travel and more local program access.
– Early evaluations and related services aim to get supports to children earlier.

# Key details
– $67.5 million total investment announced July 14, 2026.
– Expansion covers 26 schools across 14 school districts in all five boroughs.
– Programs named for expansion: NEST, Horizon, Ames, PATH, ACES.
– Initial capacity: roughly 250 preschool students for the upcoming school year.
– Staffing additions announced: 35 evaluation staff, 20 administrators/coordinators, 100 family-support staff, 29 therapists/specialists.
– The expansion “begins this fall,” with hiring to accompany program roll-out.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani
– Role or jurisdiction: Mayor of New York City.
– Action taken or responsibility: Announced and committed $67.5 million to expand pre-K specialized education.
– Relevant numbers or dates: $67.5 million; announcement on July 14, 2026. Source: https://youtu.be/oByOpqcFYOQ?t=86

New York City Department of Education (DOE) / Chancellor Kamar Samuels
– Role or jurisdiction: City agency overseeing public schools; Kamar Samuels is Chancellor.
– Action taken or responsibility: Will expand specialized programs into pre-K and hire staff to deliver services.
– Relevant numbers or dates: Expansion into 26 schools across 14 districts; serving ~250 students; multiple new staff roles announced. Source: https://youtu.be/oByOpqcFYOQ?t=440

The mayor and the Department of Education announced a $67.5 million package intended to bring existing specialized programs into pre-K classrooms and create new preschool specialized programs at 26 schools across 14 districts beginning this fall. Source: https://youtu.be/oByOpqcFYOQ?t=86

The announcement named the specialized program models being expanded: NEST, Horizon, Ames, PATH, and ACES. These are school-based specialized education programs for students with autism, developmental delays, communication needs, and intensive emotional or intellectual disabilities. Source: https://youtu.be/oByOpqcFYOQ?t=86

Officials said the expansion will serve about 250 preschoolers in the upcoming school year, and that the roll-out begins this fall; the administration framed the work as pairing new seats with more staff to speed evaluations and deliver related services. Source: https://youtu.be/oByOpqcFYOQ?t=440

DOE described the specific staffing additions that will support the expansion: 35 new staff members (including psychologists, social workers, speech evaluators, and occupational therapists) to build 10 additional preschool evaluation teams; 20 new administrators and community coordinators on the Committee on Preschool Special Education; 100 new New York City public school staff to help families navigate the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process; and 29 additional therapists and specialists for the itinerant teacher program. Source: https://youtu.be/oByOpqcFYOQ?t=166

The press conference did not include a per-school or per-district dollar breakdown of how the $67.5 million will be allocated across the 26 schools and 14 districts. Officials described program locations and staff increases but did not publish a line-item allocation at the event. Source: https://youtu.be/oByOpqcFYOQ?t=86

The mayor and chancellor framed the investment as pairing seats with infrastructure: faster evaluations, more related-service providers, and family supports intended to reduce delays in early intervention and smoother transitions into kindergarten. DOE highlighted existing outcomes for some programs (for example, noting strong high-school graduation rates among certain program cohorts) as context for expanding services into pre-K. Source: https://youtu.be/oByOpqcFYOQ?t=828

What officials said families should expect next: program expansion will start this fall and hiring is underway to staff evaluation teams, administrators, family-support staff, and therapists; DOE did not publish a detailed timeline beyond “beginning this fall” or a per-school funding spreadsheet during the press conference. Source: https://youtu.be/oByOpqcFYOQ?t=86

For questions about enrollment, individual school placements, or district-level seats and funding, families and advocates should look for follow-up materials from the Mayor’s Office and the NYC Department of Education; the July 14 press conference announced the policy and staffing commitments but did not release a district-by-district allocation. Source: https://youtu.be/oByOpqcFYOQ?t=86

This article is based on remarks at the Mayor’s press conference in Inwood on July 14, 2026, and remarks by Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels during the same event. Source: https://youtu.be/oByOpqcFYOQ?t=1