New York City has shelled out nearly $100 million in taxpayer dollars to rent more than two dozen buildings that were meant to house preschools — but have yet to open half a decade later, The Post has learned.
The city is still footing the rent and utility bills for the 28 facilities — a $99.3 million-and-counting boondoggle blamed on the “terrible execution” of former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s ambitious universal preschool expansion.
“I don’t think it’s corruption. It’s incompetence,” a former city Department of Education official told The Post.
The de Blasio-era scramble to construct 47 “initiative projects” for the then-mayor’s “3-K For All” pet program — giving free full-day care for 3-year-olds — resulted in the slew of “phantom” preschools that remain devoid of students nearly five years after he left office.
The ex-DOE official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the rush job was done without considering whether the chosen buildings were even in neighborhoods with a demand for the free seats.
The source said officials were “very disappointed” in the outcome, “given there’s such a significant need for pre-K seats.”
As The Post previously reported, the de Blasio administration earmarked $400 million to build or renovate existing buildings — for a total of nearly 3,800 3-K seats across 28 sites — that were meant to open between August 2020 and September 2025.
A handful of the intended 3-K buildings have since been repurposed as temporary homes for charter schools, preschool learners and even a DOE “welcome center” on Staten Island, but the majority remain totally empty — and none are offering 3-K seats.
https://nypost.com/2026/04/20/us-news/empty-nyc-preschools-cost-taxpayers-nearly-100m-in-rent-alone/