PRE-KINDERGARTEN PROGRAM

Academic Expectations for Pre-K

Prekindergarten Program

The Schenectady City School District is proud to offer full-day Universal Prekindergarten to both 3-year olds and 4-year olds as part of the UPK grant. The District offers transportation to all UPK students. Building principals have direct supervision and oversight of the Pre-K students and teachers within their buildings. Pre-K teachers participate in monthly PLC meetings with the Assistant Director of Prekindergarten Programming.

Families may complete an application for UPK if their child meets the eligibility requirements. Approved applicants are then entered into the UPK lottery where they may be awarded a seat.

Eligibility

A child must be a resident of the Schenectady City School District and meet the age requirements outlined below.

UPK 4: students must be four years of age on or before December 1st of the year in which they are enrolled.

UPK 3: students must be three years of age on or before December 1st of the year in which they are enrolled. 

Application and Lottery Process

Part 1: Application 

Families may apply for a UPK seat by completing the online application located on the district website. They may also complete a paper application which can be mailed by request or picked up at 530 Liberty St, Schenectady, NY 12305.

The application is an intent to participate in the UPK Lottery and is not a guarantee of placement. On the application families have the option to rank the order of their preferred location.

UPK applications are due by May 31.

Part 2: Lottery 

The lottery is open to the public. The district uses a random number generator to determine the order of the draw. The lottery continues until all students are placed with the number of seats available per location. Once all seats are filled, a waitlist is started. 

Notification and Registration

Once a child is awarded a UPK seat through the lottery selection process and families are notified of placement, they are sent a registration packet to complete. Families are notified of placement via phone, email, and a letter in the mail. Once registration is complete, families are provided additional program information and a start date. 

Program Details

UPK 3: Currently serves 28 students and is offered at two community-based organizations:

CBO Locations (3Y/O):

Schenectady Day Nursery
25 Lafayette St
Schenectady, NY 12305

Schenectady Community Action Program (SCAP Headstart)
100 Bigelow Ave
Schenectady, NY 12304

UPK 4: Currently serves over 400 students and is offered at all 11 elementary schools and 5 community-based organizations. 

CBO Locations (4Y/O):

A Magic Kingdom
2621 Consaul Rd
Schenectady, NY 12304

Early Childhood Education Center
517 Bradt St
Schenectady, NY 12306

Northern Rivers
125 Bigelow Avenue
Schenectady, NY 12304

Schenectady Day Nursery

25 Lafayette St
Schenectady, NY 12305

Schenectady Community Action Program (SCAP Headstart) - 2 locations
100 Bigelow Ave
Schenectady, NY 12304

2000 Broadway
Schenectady, NY 12306

Curriculum

Our prekindergarten program uses the Creative Curriculum®. The Creative Curriculum® for Preschool is a comprehensive, research-based curriculum that features inquiry, exploration, and discovery as the foundation of all learning. Children will engage in various theme-based units throughout the year.

Heggerty and Fundations are used to teach the foundational reading standards to help build phonics and phonemic awareness.

The EngageNY math modules are used to supplement the Creative Curriculum® units and to provide more in-depth math instruction.

Assessments

Pre-K students are assessed three times per year using the GOLD Assessment. This is a formative assessment with an ongoing observational system that teachers use daily to gather information/evidence on student progress for developmental objectives in the areas of literacy, math, social emotional skills, communication and language, physical skills, and more. Report cards are generated through this assessment and sent home three times per year.

Pre-K students are given a Universal Screening with the SPEED DIAL 4. If screening results indicate that a student is at risk of not achieving proficiency in basic academics, language or physical development, teachers develop goals and monitor student progress for specific areas in need of reinforcement.

Students are given a social & emotional screener using the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA P-2).

Assistant Director of Prekindergarten Programming & Early Literacy

Jessica Valente
Phone: 518-370-8100 Ext. 36932
Email: v