Mamdani’s city-run preschool expansion will leave parents with no other choice https://t.co/xfBsDJayVS pic.twitter.com/LvnVvqjMVU
— NY Post Opinion (@NYPostOpinion) March 16, 2026
Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s drive to expand “free” (city-run, taxpayer-funded) preschool programs is already squeezing private-sector providers, suggesting this “transformation” is more about a government takeover of the sector than anything else.
Consider the private Manhattan day care preparing to hike prices 20% to cover higher costs for qualified workers, as city pre-K competitors push up wages.
“The teachers who are working for DOE, their salaries are much higher, so we are competing with them,” Manhattan Schoolhouse co-founder and CEO Kamila Faruki told The Post.
Yes: Public school teachers are paid much more (starting salaries: $68,900 vs. $50,000) than private-sector ones, plus with less quality control.