Exclusive | Parents outraged as DOE quietly pulls preschool plans from posh NYC nabe and wont say why: Unacceptable

Upper East Side parents are fuming after the city suddenly halted plans for a preschool in the posh neighborhood — and Department of Education officials refuse to explain why they pulled the plug, The Post has learned.The massive 30,000-square-foot early childhood education center at 403 E.65th St.

was set to open by fall 2024 in order to meet local pols’ and parents’ demand for more classroom seats, the DOE announced with fanfare in 2022.The site – a former parking garage leased by the city from private landlord Friedland Properties – appeared to be fully built, with DOE signage, the lights on and a security guard present, but still hadn’t opened to students.Pressed by The Post, the DOE bizarrely walked back its years-old announcement, claiming Friday that “no final decisions have been made on how this building location will be utilized.”“It’s like a slap in the face every time we walk by,” fumed one Upper East Side mom, Jennifer, who recently moved to the same block as the site with dreams of enrolling her young son – who has been on a waitlist for the city’s Manhattan Schoolhouse 3-K program “since he was an infant.”The planned site was slated to house up to 10 classrooms for three- and four-year-olds, and help neighborhood parents who for years have pleaded for more spots in the city’s free pre-K and 3-K programs.Enrollment for 3-K in Manhattan’s District 2, which contains the Upper East Side, skyrocketed more than 121% — from just 245 students in the 2022-23 school year to 543 in 2024-25 — while preschool enrollment roughly plateaued during the same time period, according to planning documents obtained by The Post.“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 said.“Universal means universal.” Without the new center opening, Jennifer, who asked not to be identified using her full name, said she wo...