Parents in posh New York City neighborhood left reeling after DOE pulls plug on long-planned preschool center.
The city's Department of Education (DOE) has quietly pulled its plans for a massive new preschool center in the affluent Upper East Side neighborhood, leaving parents fuming and demanding answers. The $30 million facility, which was set to open by fall 2024, was meant to provide crucial spots in the city's already overcrowded pre-K and 3-K programs.
Despite being fully built and ready for students, with DOE signage, lights on, and a security guard present, the center has not opened. When pressed by The Post for an explanation, the DOE bizarrely walked back its years-old announcement, stating that "no final decisions have been made on how this building location will be utilized."
The move has left parents feeling frustrated and disappointed, with many having moved into the neighborhood specifically in hopes of securing spots at the new center. Jennifer, a mom who recently relocated to the area, expressed her outrage, saying, "It's like a slap in the face every time we walk by... We have a lot of families who move to the neighborhood expecting public school and public program benefits."
The planned site was meant to provide up to 10 classrooms for three- and four-year-olds, addressing the long-standing demand from parents and local politicians. However, enrollment numbers for 3-K in Manhattan's District 2 skyrocketed over 121% between 2022-23 and 2024-25, while preschool enrollment plateaued.
"This is the difference between us being able to buy an apartment on the Upper East Side versus rent," said a CB8 source familiar with the matter. "I feel like families give up... and then they either move or [attend] a private school."
The DOE's decision has been met with criticism from local officials, including City Council Speaker Julie Menin, who accused the previous administration of failing to prioritize opening the facility before its term expired.
"It is unacceptable that the Adams administration failed to prioritize opening this facility before their term expired," she said. "There is a definitely need for it... so we're continuing to patiently wait."
As the city struggles to address the growing demand for early childhood education, parents are left wondering what happened to the long-planned preschool center and when – or if – it will ever open.
The city's Department of Education (DOE) has quietly pulled its plans for a massive new preschool center in the affluent Upper East Side neighborhood, leaving parents fuming and demanding answers. The $30 million facility, which was set to open by fall 2024, was meant to provide crucial spots in the city's already overcrowded pre-K and 3-K programs.
Despite being fully built and ready for students, with DOE signage, lights on, and a security guard present, the center has not opened. When pressed by The Post for an explanation, the DOE bizarrely walked back its years-old announcement, stating that "no final decisions have been made on how this building location will be utilized."
The move has left parents feeling frustrated and disappointed, with many having moved into the neighborhood specifically in hopes of securing spots at the new center. Jennifer, a mom who recently relocated to the area, expressed her outrage, saying, "It's like a slap in the face every time we walk by... We have a lot of families who move to the neighborhood expecting public school and public program benefits."
The planned site was meant to provide up to 10 classrooms for three- and four-year-olds, addressing the long-standing demand from parents and local politicians. However, enrollment numbers for 3-K in Manhattan's District 2 skyrocketed over 121% between 2022-23 and 2024-25, while preschool enrollment plateaued.
"This is the difference between us being able to buy an apartment on the Upper East Side versus rent," said a CB8 source familiar with the matter. "I feel like families give up... and then they either move or [attend] a private school."
The DOE's decision has been met with criticism from local officials, including City Council Speaker Julie Menin, who accused the previous administration of failing to prioritize opening the facility before its term expired.
"It is unacceptable that the Adams administration failed to prioritize opening this facility before their term expired," she said. "There is a definitely need for it... so we're continuing to patiently wait."
As the city struggles to address the growing demand for early childhood education, parents are left wondering what happened to the long-planned preschool center and when – or if – it will ever open.
I'm literally shaking with frustration thinking about all these families who've already moved into that neighborhood just hoping to get their little ones into this preschool center. It's like, what even is going on?! 
They had the facility all ready, signage, lights on... it's not like they didn't know where they were building it! And now they're saying "no final decisions have been made"? 
Give me a break! 
The city needs this preschool center ASAP, especially with all these families having to deal with overcrowded programs. I feel so bad for Jennifer and all the other parents who've given up hope on getting their kids into this program. Fingers crossed that City Council Speaker Julie Menin can get something done about this soon 
. It's not okay, folks 
I feel so bad for these families who have already moved into the neighborhood expecting their kids to get a spot at this school. It's like they're being played, you know? They invested their time and money into buying an apartment in that area just so their little ones could go to this preschool... and now it's all being taken away from them. 
. Like, who do these people think they are? Cancelling a $30 million project without even giving the parents a heads up? 
This is a huge oversight and it's only gonna affect the most vulnerable families who can't afford private school or else 
. Something needs to change here, and fast! 
... like seriously what's going on here? one minute they're all hyped up about opening this super expensive preschool center in a posh neighborhood, the next minute they just pull the plug without even finishing it 
?
... they must be totally heartbroken right now 
. And don't even get me started on how frustrating it is to see all that empty space just sitting there, like a giant unused puzzle piece 
. I know some people are gonna say that the demand for preschools is too high and that the DOE just can't keep up, but that's not fair to these families who are already struggling.