Driven by a lack of affordable childcare, local mothers in Greenpoint and the Columbia Street Waterfront have started petitions to secure free 3K and Pre-K seats for their communities.
A Brand-New Pre-K Center Sits Empty. Parents Want Answers.
A fully built-out pre-K facility at 42 President Street / 129 Van Brunt in the Columbia Street Waterfront District — designed to hold 135 seats for the neighborhood’s youngest learners — is sitting empty and locked, and local parents have had enough. There are limited 3k and Pre-K options in the area and this building, across from Cabrini playground, has been sitting vacant for 2+ years. The city won’t open it because they need to “assess need.” Community member @jessiemro has launched a petition pressuring the city to open the facility, which was constructed and furnished but never activated. The Adams administration claimed there wasn’t enough demand; parents in the transit-starved Columbia Waterfront and Red Hook neighborhoods say that’s simply not true — they’re currently hauling toddlers through rain and snow to programs in distant communities because nothing closer exists. “Don’t make 2 and 3-year-olds travel more than they should for an education,” one commenter wrote, tagging Mayor Mamdani and Council Member Shahana Hanif. The situation echoes a pattern Mamdani has already acknowledged: in February, he opened a completed pre-K center on the Upper East Side that had been sitting empty for seven months, telling reporters, “we are righting that wrong.” Parents on Van Brunt Street are asking him to right this one too. Sign the petition here.
Petition for Expanded 3K & Pre-K Early Education in Greenpoint
A Greenpoint mom who is passionate about making sure the community has access to early education opportunities like 3K has launched a petition for more seats in the Greenpoint area. Greenpoint has experienced a significant increase in young families over the past several years, yet the number of available 3K seats has not kept pace with that growth. Many parents face uncertainty, long waitlists, or the possibility of sending their children far outside the neighborhood to access early education programs. Sign the petition here.
From our council member Lincoln Restler: More 3K Seats
“Last week Mayor Mamdani announced that over 1,000 3K seats will be added this fall in neighborhoods that have been unable to meet demand for universal 3K. Our office has been beating the drum about the lack of 3K seats across our district for years and we are thrilled that many of the neighborhoods we represent will be adding seats in September. The following zip codes will be adding 3K capacity:
- 11222 – Greenpoint
- 11217 – Boerum Hill
- 11201 – DUMBO / Downtown Brooklyn / Brooklyn Heights
There are currently only 630 3K seats in our District, but over 1,000 Pre-K seats, so we know the demand for additional 3K seats exists. The Department of Education is currently evaluating both community programs and DOE sites to determine where to add seats. We will continue to share specific updates as we get more information and celebrate new 3K locations across our district.”
