Mayor Mamdani and Governor Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday morning that New York City has filled its first 2,000 free 2-K seats for two-year-olds, the opening phase of a universal childcare program funded by a $1.2 billion state commitment. The seats begin in the fall, and officials said the program will expand to 12,000 seats next year.

The city received more than 5,700 applications for the roughly 2,000 seats, about three applicants for every opening, Mamdani said. Every family placed will save more than $20,000 per child per year on childcare. More than 80 percent of placed families received an offer to one of their top three choices, close to 60 percent received their first choice, and 99 percent received an offer to a program they had ranked, according to the mayor.

“Next month, 2,000 of New York’s cutest will begin learning, playing and growing at 2-K programs across four areas of our city, including right here in School District ten,” Mamdani said at Bedrock Preschool in the Bronx, where the announcement was held. Hochul said the offers would reach families “starting in 19 communities across New York City.”