Pre-Kindergarten program (UPK)

Pre-Kindergarten Updates

UPDATES REGARDING SPENCERPORT PRE-KINDERGARTEN
 

In mid-April 2021, school districts learned of a new funding for Universal Pre-Kindergarten as a component of the American Rescue Plan. As a result, Spencerport expanded its pilot ½ day Pre-K program to a full day Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program. 
 

There are requirements around how districts spend the UPK Funding. Some of the parameters include:
 

  • Funding is ONLY available for full-day Pre-K programs. 

  • Programs must run for at least 5 hours a day, 5 days a week, for at least 180 days. 

  • Eligible students must be four years old on December 1st of that school year

 

Below are the details of the Spencerport full-day UPK program:
 

  • Four UPK classrooms across the district for the 21-22 school year 

  • One classroom of 18 students at each of the four elementary buildings 

  • Each classroom has one certified Spencerport teacher and one paraprofessional. 

  • Students may attend Pre-K in a different building than they will attend K-5.  

  • Hours of operation: 9:00 am to 2:30 pm, Monday through Friday 

  • Transportation is the responsibility of the parent/guardian; bussing is not provided. 

  • Spencerport UPK is a no-cost program for participating families. 

  • It is strongly encouraged that students are potty-trained.  

  • There is no wrap-around care offered at this time, but we are exploring possibilities for 2022-2023 school year.   

  • Rest/nap time will be included in the daily schedule.  

  • Students will have the option to purchase breakfast and lunch at school. Students can also bring their own lunch. 


2022-2023 SCHOOL YEAR
 

Below is the timeline for applying for UPK for the 2022-2023 school year, pending continued funding from New York State Education Department. Please note that if the number of applicants exceeds the number of seats available in the program, the District will use a lottery system to determine enrollment. In the 2021-2022 school year, funding was provided for 72 students. 

Online Application: The application period is now closed for the 2022-2023 Full-day UPK. Please see the timeline below for more details.
 

Date

Action Step

December 1, 2021

Applications are available on this website and for pick up in any of the four elementary buildings.

December 31, 2021

Applications due

 

January 5, 2022

UPK Lottery

 

January 17, 2022

Acceptance letters and Waitlist letters mailed to families

 

February 4, 2022

Commitment forms due to Instruction Office

 

May 2022

UPK Registration and Screening

Date: To be determined

 

As updates become available, they will be posted on this website. Please come back to check for new information. We will also be communicating updates on our District social media—Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

In the event that there are more applications than there are seats available, we will hold a lottery. Any students who are not selected in the lottery will be placed on a waitlist in the order their names were pulled during the lottery drawing. 


Wait List Procedures

  • The wait list will be maintained during the school year in the event slots become available.

  • If/when a parent/guardian of a selected student decides not to enroll the child, or drops out of the program, the first family on the wait list will be contacted. This will repeat until a family accepts the available slot.  

  • Any student of a family that rejects the offered slot is moved to the end of the waiting list.

 

If you have any questions about the process, please contact Kristen Paolini, Director of Curriculum, at 349-5156 or you may e-mail her at kpaolini@spencerportschools.org