Mamdani forces New York beloved preschool to hike annual fee to $36,000… and parents are fuming

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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.

https://nypost.com/2026/03/16/opinion/mamdanis-city-run-preschool-expansion-will-leave-parents-with-no-other-choice/

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