Mayor Mamdani of New York City has announced a $100M expansion of free preschool seats for 3-year-olds in neighborhoods with unmet demand, including some of the wealthiest zip codes in Manhattan. The expansion is part of Gov. Hochul's $100-million investment to stabilize 3-K, which he claims will make the program truly universal for the first time. The new seats will cover 56 zip codes including Manhattan’s Greenwich Village, SoHo, West Village, Chelsea and Gramercy, as well as the Upper East Side and Upper West Side. They also touch several working-class neighborhoods, including Staten Island, which was left out of the recent launch of free child care for 2-year olds. This move is aimed at addressing a paradox that has long plagued the city's early childhood system: In some neighborhoods, families have been shut out of local 3-C programs and been forced to pay more than $20,000 annually. However, in other areas, thousands of 3- K-K seats are empty every year.