Wu unveils $20 million plan to expand Boston pre-K seats
Uncategorized · Meeting of July 21, 2026
Boston commits $20 million to expand Universal Pre-K and, for the first time, bring home-based day cares into the city system. Mayor Michelle Wu announced the investment at the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center, funded through the city's UPK Trust Fund and Boston Public Schools, expanding the program by nearly 1,000 seats for three- and four-year-olds. Office of Early Childhood Director Krista McSwain said three-year-old seats are growing from about 150 to roughly 333 this year, with four-year-old seats rising to about 674 outside the roughly 2,600 seats already in BPS buildings.
UPK Director Tiara Dias said the city is "adopting a new funding model" that follows classrooms rather than individual children, calling family child care inclusion something educators have long asked for: "we see you, we hear you." BCNC's Kathy Chang said families save over $13,000 a year through the center's expanded before- and after-school care.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 1,836 words
Source: the Uncategorized meeting of July 21, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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