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Poughkeepsie City School District

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Universal Pre-K

Universal Pre-K

2025-2026 School Year

UPK Registration is now Open!

A colorful announcement for Universal Pre-K and Kindergarten registration in the Poughkeepsie City School District, featuring smiling children and a QR code.

A flyer announcing open enrollment for Prekinder Universal and Kindergarten in the Poughkeepsie City School District for the 2025-2026 school year, featuring smiling children and contact information.

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!

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

Locations include:

 

All students registered in time for the UPK lottery held in March received their first choice of placement. No lottery was needed. The lottery process 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.

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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Click here to view UPK Fireside Chat.

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Click here to view UPK Fireside Chat - Spanish.

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Click here to view PreK On My Way.