Kindergarten registration for the 2025-26 school year is open and the pre-K application period will begin Feb. 20.

Though parents are not required to send their children to school before the first grade, students who participate in pre-K and kindergarten have been shown to be more likely to succeed academically and graduate high school, are less likely to require academic intervention or special education services, and have stronger emotional and social intelligence, among a slew of other benefits.

The Poughkeepsie City School District encourages positive student outcomes for its youngest learners through an in-depth curriculum that stresses social/emotional, cognitive and language development, while following New York State Education Department standards for instruction.

Visit the district’s enrollment webpage to learn more about kindergarten registration, with instructions both in English and Spanish, and to complete the central registration packet. Families can also contact the district’s Central Registration Office at 845-437-3480 or centreg@poughkeepsieschools.org

The kindergarten program includes foundational instruction in literacy and numeracy, library classes with a full-time library media specialist, art and music classes, indoor and outdoor play spaces and a dual language program beginning at the pre-K level that broadens the educational experience for all learners.

The district also accommodates for the schedules of area parents and caregivers by offering transportation and breakfast and lunch to students, as well as extended learning sessions, all free to district families.

 “Our pre-K and our kindergarten program has a curriculum very specific so children are learning skills that are preparing them for the next levels of education,” said Nadine Elting-Dargan, Early Learning Center principal. “It’s critical that a child participates in a program that is going to lay the foundation. They get the foundation for their letters, numbers, sounds, and things that are going to lead them to reading and math at the first-grade level.”

Universal pre-K applications

The district’s Universal Pre-K Program, which is offered at no cost to families, is open to children who are 4 years old on or before Dec. 1 and reside in the school district. The full-day, five-days-a-week program features both traditional and dual language chapters, and five other community partners host pre-K chapters:

• North Star Academy at the Boys and Girls Club on Cannon Street.
• Astor Services on Delafield Avenue.
• Day One Early Learning Community on Hooker Avenue.
• Dutchess Community College on Pendell Road.
• Holy Trinity Elementary School on Springside Avenue.

The program is grounded in early literacy and numeracy research and encourages inquiry and play to support learning, cooperation and social-emotional growth. Instructors focus on kindergarten readiness, with a curriculum that includes letter and sound recognition, language and listening skills, STEAM skills, social/emotional skills and the development of fine motor skills.

Because spaces are limited, there will be a lottery for UPK registration on March 21. The window to register for the lottery will open Feb. 20 and close March 20. Visit the enrollment webpage during that timeframe to apply.

The district plans to hold three pre-K information sessions: 11 a.m. Feb. 14 online through this link, 5 p.m. Feb. 25 at Krieger Elementary, and 3 p.m. Feb. 26 at Morse Elementary. The Krieger session will also include information on the dual language program.