The pre-K landscape in NYC is constantly shifting: since last year’s application season, more than 166 programs have closed, merged, or shifted out of the DOE Universal Pre-K system, and 540 new programs have opened or expanded their grade offerings to include pre-K and/or 3-K! We’ve recently updated the InsideSchools database so you can find all the available options for your little one on our pre-K or 3-K search.

We also updated the quality ratings under the “What is the Pre-K like?” section on each school page (only for schools that were open last year). These measures come from the 2018-19 Classroom Assessment Scoring System and Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale, national assessments that rate each school on items like the quality of interactions between teachers and students and the types of activities the program offers for student exploration (yes, including playing with dirt!). High scores on these factors have been linked to positive outcomes for students like reading skills and independence over the long-term.

Roughly 95 percent of city programs that were reviewed met or exceeded expectations on these evaluations, according to Chalkbeat. But we encourage you to see how your favorite programs fared on our site, and if possible, go visit them to confirm with your own eyes. Don’t know what to look for? Watch our helpful video on the topic.

Also, make sure to double-check MySchools before you submit your application to the DOE on March 16th (for pre-K) or April 24th (for 3-K), because some program details are still in flux. And please let us know in the COMMENTS below or on a school page if you find something that has changed so we can update it.