Michelle Wu loves feel-good initiatives that give away free stuff, and never worries about the cost to taxpayers or businesses.

But her decision to exclude thousands of charter, parochial and METCO school children from her free museum weekends program is mean-spirited and divisive – pitting families against each other.

Wu is mayor of Boston to everyone who lives in the city – not just a select few who get an education she deems politically-correct or union friendly.

She may not have intended it that way but her move to reward only Boston Public Schools kids with free passes has left low-income families in charter schools and in the METCO program with no place to go.

These are families that can’t afford private schools and surely can’t afford a weekend trip to the Museum of Science or the New England Aquarium. Taking a family of four to the Aquarium costs more than $100 total in ticket prices.

Wu announced during her State of the City address to waive admission fees at various museums and institutions for BPS students and up to three family members on the first two Sundays of each month through at least August.

So far, the program has drawn 2,500 students and family members to the institutions and museums — but many thousands more could be served if Wu opened up the plan to all students in Boston.

Two city councilors have proposed just that – adding charter, METCO and parochial school students to the “BPS Sundays” pilot program.

“There are over 20,000 Boston children who are enrolled in charter and parochial schools, and who attend the METCO program that should have access to the same wonderful opportunities as our BPS students,” City Councilor Erin Murphy said.

The Wu administration sounds open to expanding the program eventually but the time is now to do it. Wu shouldn’t need to wait for City Council approval or to see how the pilot program is running. She can right this mistake immediately.

Wu is mayor to all in Boston – and that includes thousands of kids who have chosen for various reasons not to enroll in Boston Public Schools or can’t get into the exam schools.

The only reason Wu didn’t include charter schools in the pilot program is politics. Charter schools are a politically-divisive issue and many liberals like Wu view them as threats to public schools.

But in reality, charter schools are public schools, too.

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Families enrolled in charter schools — long the bane of powerful Democratic unions — are looking for a better way to educate their children than BPS, which is riddled with poor-performing high schools and violence.

Kids in the METCO program are bused to suburban schools outside of Boston. But they are still considered Boston public school students – by everyone but Wu apparently.

They live in the city and deserve to enjoy Boston’s great cultural institutions as much as any other kid. They should not be punished by Wu.