FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
State Education Department Awards $34M in Universal Prekindergarten Expansion Grants
64 School Districts to Receive Funding
Grants will expand full-day PreK opportunities for four-year-old students
The New York State Education Department awarded $34 million in Universal Prekindergarten (UPK) Expansion Grants to 64 school districts across the state, Commissioner Betty A. Rosa announced today. The grants will enable districts to establish new full-day prekindergarten placements or to convert existing placements from half- to full-day.
Regents Chancellor Lester W. Young, Jr. said, "When children enroll in high-quality and effective PreK programs, they gain a significant advantage in early skills that prepare them for success in elementary school. Expanding access to full-day PreK programs through these grants will help more of New York’s children succeed."
Commissioner Rosa said, “When we provide equitable opportunities for children in their early years, they reap the benefits throughout their lives. The Department is deeply committed to providing a strong educational foundation to every single child in New York – because that is what each of them deserves.”
All public-school districts in New York State were eligible to apply for this competitive grant opportunity. Grants were awarded based upon a district’s plan to serve a community’s highest need schools and students; the level of existing prekindergarten services; the extent to which a district planned to maximize the total number of eligible four-year-old children served in its programs; and other factors. Awarded school districts will be able to operate a 180-day program during the 2024-2025 school year.
The following school districts were awarded funding under the grant program:
| School District | Award Amount |
|---|---|
|
Albany City School District |
$1,265,442 |
|
Belfast Center School District |
$43,206 |
|
Brewster Central School District |
$900,000 |
|
Buffalo City School District |
$2,500,000 |
|
Cambridge Central School District |
$310,000 |
|
Chateaugay Central School District |
$161,930 |
|
Clifton-Fine Central School District |
$120,000 |
|
Cortland Enlarged City School District |
$67,322 |
|
Cuba-Rushford Central School District |
$162,719 |
|
Deposit Central School District |
$264,000 |
|
Dryden Central School District |
$191,543 |
|
East Ramapo Central School District |
$2,498,848 |
|
East Syracuse Minoa School District |
$465,175 |
|
Elba Central School District |
$130,000 |
|
Ellicottville Central School District |
$311,400 |
|
Evans-Brant (Lake Shore) Central School District |
$180,000 |
|
Fabius Pompey Central School District |
$180,000 |
|
Farmingdale Union Free School District |
$919,800 |
|
Florida Union Free School District |
$210,000 |
|
Frontier Central School District |
$519,551 |
|
Fulton City School District |
$917,065 |
|
Gananda Central School District |
$434,230 |
|
Garden City Union Free School District |
$2,390,000 |
|
Guilderland Central School District |
$800,000 |
|
Hamburg Central School District |
$180,000 |
|
Haverstraw Stony Point Central School District |
$2,454,359 |
|
Hendrick Hudson Central School District |
$590,000 |
|
Heuvelton Central School District |
$224,748 |
|
Hudson City School District |
$200,000 |
|
Iroquois Central School District |
$360,000 |
|
Liberty Central School District |
$221,908 |
|
Lisbon Central School District |
$203,349 |
|
Livonia Central School District |
$356,622 |
|
Malverne Union Free School District |
$470,000 |
|
Mechanicville City School District |
$180,000 |
|
Medina Central School District |
$494,269 |
|
Merrick Union Free School District |
$360,000 |
|
Milford Central School District |
$83,417 |
|
Onondaga Central School District |
$180,000 |
|
Onteora Central School District |
$167,900 |
|
Oyster Bay & East Norwich Central School District |
$660,000 |
|
Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District |
$360,000 |
|
Poland Central School District |
$400,000 |
|
Queensbury Union Free School District |
$194,000 |
|
Riverhead Central School District |
$1,000,581 |
|
Rockville Centre Union Free School District |
$360,000 |
|
Roxbury Central School District |
$100,000 |
|
Royalton-Hartland Central School District |
$436,404 |
|
Rush-Henrietta Central School District |
$544,756 |
|
Saranac Lake Central School District |
$402,300 |
|
Seaford Union Free School District |
$720,000 |
|
Sherrill City School District |
$839,076 |
|
Southwestern at Jamestown Central School District |
$114,173 |
|
Springville-Griffith Institute Central School District |
$330,000 |
|
Starpoint Central School District |
$1,213,528 |
|
Syosset Central School District |
$910,000 |
|
Ticonderoga Central School District |
$267,681 |
|
Tioga Central School District |
$130,000 |
|
Washingtonville Central School District |
$82,909 |
|
Webster Central School District |
$1,204,300 |
|
West Canada Valley Central School District |
$210,249 |
|
West Irondequoit Central School District |
$540,000 |
|
Wheatland-Chili Central School District |
$99,297 |
|
York Central School District |
$272,000 |
Please visit the NYS Education Department’s Early Learning website for more information about prekindergarten programs and other early childhood learning opportunities in New York State.
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