• Universal Pre-K

    2025-2026 School Year

    UPK Registration is now Open!

       

    Registration for the UPK lottery was available from February 20 to March 20, 2025. All students registered in the lottery will receive their first choice with no lottery needing to take place. There are still spaces available at all locations; please contact central registration to register your child for UPK. Spaces will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis.

    Poughkeepsie City School District is happy to provide Full Day Universal Pre-K programs to 4 year olds across the district. Our UPK program is grounded in early literacy and numeracy research and encourages inquiry and play to support learning, cooperation, and social-emotional growth at no cost to families!

    We have several UPK locations this year, both in district buildings and throughout the community.

    Locations include:

     

    The district will host three informational sessions on UPK:

    • Friday, February 14 @ 11:00AM - Virtual via Google Meet.
    • Tuesday, February 25 @ 5PM - Krieger Elementary School
    • Wednesday, February 26 @ 3PM - Morse Elementary School

     

    Spaces are limited, so there will be a lottery for UPK registration. The drawing for the 2025-2026 school year will be held on March 21, 2025 at 1:00 PM and will be broadcast live. The link will be provided here and directly to all those who register for the lottery.

     

    After the lottery drawing, registration for UPK will open for remaining open spaces at each location.

    The lottery is a requirement of New York State:

    151-1.4 Program design (d) School districts must establish a process to select eligible children to receive universal prekindergarten services on a random selection basis where there are more eligible children than can be served in a given school year.

    For a full description of the lottery policy, please read this document.

     

    Spaces are still available for the 2024-2025 school year! Please fill out a registration packet and make an appointment with Central Registration to enroll your child in PreK!

    Program information:

    The Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program provides curriculum and activities five days per week with full-day programs, which are appropriate to the age-level and individual needs of eligible children and promote cognitive, linguistic, physical, cultural, emotional and social development. Activities are learner-centered and are designed and provided in a way that promotes the child’s total growth and development in all areas including emergent English literacy. Children are encouraged to be self-assured and independent. 

    Eligible children are those who reside within the school district and are 4 years of age on or before December 1 of the year in which he or she is enrolled, or who will otherwise be first eligible to enter public school kindergarten commencing with the following school year. 
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