Universal PreK (UPK)
Shenendehowa Universal PreKindergarten (UPK) Program 2023-2024 School Year
Shenendehowa currently partners with multiple preschool providers to offer a Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) program to qualifying 4-year-old district residents. Children who will be 4 years old by December 1 of that school year are eligible for UPK. A child who is age-eligible to attend kindergarten in that school year is not eligible for UPK.
The UPK program is free for families. Funding is provided through a grant from the New York State Education Department.
Parents must provide transportation.
Our preschool providers are centers which are approved by Shenendehowa and they offer a program that is aligned with the New York State Early Learning Guidelines. The teachers have the required credentials to instruct preschool students.
A lottery system is used to select students for this program as the number of seats is limited. The lottery opens in April 2023, and eligible families may enter the lottery via a google form. Lottery entries must be submitted by May 17, 2023. The lottery selection will be held on May 24, 2023. Selected families will be notified by mail later in May, after the Memorial Day holiday, and those not selected will be notified that they are on the waitlist.
Those selected in the lottery must then formally register their child by the due date given in their letter, to accept the seat (providing proof of residency, parent ID and child’s birth certificate). Registration is done online at www.shenet.org/registration.
Please view our UPK Frequently Asked Questions for more information. If you have further questions about our UPK program please reach out at prek@shenschools.org.
