As UPK and SUFDPK funding is tied to students served, LEAs are required, on an annual basis, to report their prekindergarten (PreK) child counts (enrollment numbers), regardless of the funding that supports their PreK program. For the 2024-25 school year, all child counts must be entered via the Student Information Repository System (SIRS) (monthly) and in the SED Monitoring and Vendor Performance System, on March 12, 2025, when the Office of Early Learning’s Child Counts day is held. Please note that the provision of counting "ever-enrolled" students has ended.

In response to concerns raised by LEAs who experience significant changes in enrollment throughout the year, and to align with the K-12 data system, LEAs must report actual PreK enrollment child counts in SIRS on a monthly basis. To calculate the final payment for the 2024–2025 program year, the Office of Early Learning will look at data sets from two points in time (October and March) and select the higher of the two. As of March 12, 2025, the Office of Early Learning will pull its final dataset.

LEAs with UPK Allocations
Student enrollment counts must be entered in the Student Information Repository System (SIRS). SIRS currently includes two PreK program codes:

• 902 for Universal Pre-K and
• 990 for “Other” Pre-K.

Please follow the instructions in the chart at the end of this document for reporting prekindergarten students in SIRS. Failure to code children appropriately may result in a reduction in the amount that a district can be reimbursed for the PreK services it provides during the 2024-2025 school year. If you have questions, please reach out to your OEL Liaison or OEL@nysed.gov with the subject line 2024-25 UPK Child Counts.

LEAs with SUFDPK Grant Awards

Child Counts for students funded with SUFDPK grants must be reported in both SIRS and in the SED Monitoring and Vendor Performance System.

• In SIRS, SUFDPK funded new full day slots should be coded as 990 for “Other” PreK as there is not a distinct code for this funding source. SUFDPK funded conversion slots should be coded as 902.
• To ensure accuracy and to account for students served by a certified vs. uncertified teacher, LEAs will be required to also enter their numbers in the SED Monitoring and Vendor Performance System by March 12, 2025. Each LEA will receive an automated email in February 2025 to prompt them to complete the 2024-2025 SUFDPK Child Counts Survey. In this survey, districts will specify the number of children enrolled half-day, full-day, and by provider type (district, Head Start, day care center, etc.).