Overview | In New York | Nationwide | Frequently Asked Questions | Facts & Figures
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In New York, Universal Pre-Kindergarten is still in the process of becoming a reality for all four-year-olds. In 1997, this statewide initiative was written into legislation and was launched, with a design to guarantee every four-year-old (125,000 statewide) the opportunity to two-and-a-half hours of free preschool. The program provides an opportunity to access comprehensive early childhood education experiences that promote the children's social, cognitive, linguistic, physical, and cultural development.
Each year, the program is in jeopardy of being cut altogether, as it is not factored in to a guaranteed budget or represented in the funding formula. The Governor's recommended budget for the 2003-2004 fiscal year did not include Universal Pre-K. Dedicated advocates, parents, and the business community joined as one to articulate a clear message about the role of Universal Pre-K in their lives and the lives of their children. The needs and benefits of Universal Pre-K were weighed and the battle was won.
Now in its seventh year of implementation in New York City, the program has over 43,000 children enrolled in Universal Pre-K classes. Overall, approximately 65% of the Universal Pre-K programs are now located in community-based preschools (day care center, Head Start programs, private nurseries, special education providers and group family day care), and 35% are in schools run by the New York City Department of Education. UPK responds to the increasing need for working parents to place their children in high quality preschool programs and recognizes the impact of research findings that indicate that these experiences promote later school success, decrease grade retention, reduce inappropriate special education placement, and minimize general school failure.
The Universal Pre-K program in New York City is especially unique in its model. Due to many limits that the Community School Districts face, the majority of services are provided to children through Community-Based Organizations. The relationships that have developed between the Public Schools and the Community- Based Organizations serve as an example of the kind of collaborations that can occur when organizations work together to create systems to meet the needs of our children. As a result, there are now hundreds of contracts between school districts and community organizations that provide high-quality, developmentally appropriate programs to our four-year olds across the city.
|
1998-1999 |
1999-2000 |
2000-2001 |
2001-2002 |
2002-2003 | |
|
Projected UPK enrollment |
14,002 |
24,000 |
52,300 |
n/a |
44,000 |
|
Actual number of children enrolled in UPK |
13,668 |
25,592 |
35,422 |
39, 949 |
42,876 |
|
Percentage of programs in board of education sites ( % ) |
63 |
40 |
32 |
30 |
25 |
|
Percentage of programs in community based sites (%) |
37 |
60 |
68 |
70 |
75 |