The space will be leased to the School Construction Authority, which will fully renovate the building, a DOE spokesman said. Specifics on the design and construction process are not yet finalized, and it's unclear how much of the building will house the pre-K facility, the spokesman told Patch.

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The new 180-seat center is a product of efforts made by Upper East Side officials to put pressure on the city to expand universal pre-K to the neighborhood, City Councilman Ben Kallos said. After two years of pre-K growth on the Upper East Side the number of seats dropped in 2017, which spurred Kallos to call on the aid of the city comptroller, public advocate, borough president and other neighborhood elected representatives to demand more seats from City Hall and Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña.