The former garage at 403 East 65th Street was supposed to be converted into classrooms for Pre-K and 3-K students (Google Maps)
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The Department of Education has quietly abandoned plans for a massive early childhood education center on the Upper East Side, according to the New York Post, and officials won’t explain why.
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The 30,000-square-foot facility at 403 East 65th Street (between First and York avenues), a former parking garage leased from Friedland Properties, was announced in 2022 as a solution to the neighborhood’s chronic shortage of pre-K seats. It was supposed to open by fall 2024 with up to ten classrooms for three- and four-year-olds.That never happened, and according to the Post, it doesn’t appear to be on the horizon.
When pressed, the DOE walked back its years-old announcement, claiming “no final decisions have been made on how this building location will be utilized.” We followed up and got the same answer from the agency.
“It’s like a slap in the face every time we walk by,” one neighborhood mother named Jennifer told the Post. She moved to the block hoping to enroll her son, who has been waitlisted for a Manhattan Schoolhouse program “since he was an infant.”
The reversal comes despite growing demand. Enrollment for 3-K in Manhattan’s District 2 jumped more than 121 percent between the 2022-23 and 2024-25 school years, according to planning documents obtained by the Post. Schools in the district have also been reaching capacity for pre-K and 3-K at higher rates than in previous years.
“We have a lot of families who move to the neighborhood expecting public school and public program benefits,” Manhattan Community Board 8 chairperson Valerie Mason told the Post. “Universal means universal.”
One CB8 member speculated the site may have been deprioritized because the Upper East Side is a wealthier district, though the DOE has offered no official explanation.
The financial stakes are significant for families. Private day care can cost tens of thousands annually. “This is the difference between us being able to buy an apartment on the Upper East Side versus rent,” the CB8 source said.
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City Council Speaker Julie Menin, who originally announced the project during her time as the neighborhood’s Council representative, blamed the Adams administration for failing to open the facility before leaving office.“Families in our district were promised a robust, reliable early childhood facility, and it is unacceptable that the Adams administration failed to prioritize opening this facility before their term expired,” Menin said. “Every community deserves accessible, high-quality early childhood education backed by clear timelines, accountability, and real follow-through.”
The DOE told the Post it would “continue to monitor community needs” but did not answer questions about the building’s current function.
Mason said she only learned about the change from the Post and was still waiting to hear back from the DOE after inquiring.
“If this site is off the table, I’d like to know what the alternatives are,” she said.
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