UPK Registration

UPK is a free preschool experience made possible through grants from the New York State Education Department (NYSED).

Universal Pre-Kindergarten programs will follow curriculum aligned to the New York State Learning Standards. Specific materials and student schedules will vary by UPK site. You will be provided with detailed curriculum and daily activities directly from your child’s UPK provider.

Yes. The cost of tuition for those students selected through a lottery selection process is paid for by the grants. There are no fees paid by the family or the District for up to 5.5 hours per day/five days a week for the full-day program

The full-day program is at least 5.5 hours per day, Monday through Friday, for 180 days (as per the District calendar).

All questions regarding additional hours, before-care and after-care, should be addressed directly with the UPK provider.

The first day of UPK will correspond with the Highland Central School District school calendar.

The calendar may vary by the agency. The agency will provide participants with the calendar.

No. Families must provide transportation for their child. It is expected that students will be dropped off and picked up at the appointed starting and ending times for their particular class. The grant pays for students to attend school for a specific amount of time each day.

Highland Central School District children who turn four (4) years of age on or before December 1, 2026, are eligible for the program. Children who turn five are not eligible per New York State regulations. The child must reside in the Highland Central School District to be eligible for our UPK program.

We have partnered with area daycare providers and agencies for the 2026-2027 school year. The program will NOT be housed in our school buildings. We are currently partnered with the following providers:

• Joyful Moments Childcare, 620 New Paltz Rd. Highland, NY 12528
• Stepping Stones at the Park, 30 Park Lane, Highland, NY 12528

Specific teachers, lessons and special events will vary by location. However, any UPK provider selected by the Highland Board of Education must adhere to state and local standards.

a. To apply, parents must complete a UPK lottery application. The link to complete the application online will be posted on the District website on April 9, 2026. The UPK application must be submitted by June 2, 2026.

b. If your lottery application is chosen, a registration packet will then need to be completed. Registration information will be provided at the time of acceptance into the UPK program.



No. All completed eligible applications will be included in the lottery/selection process. Submit your application when you have completed all the applicable forms and have all of your documentation to submit with your application. Incomplete registration packets will not be accepted.

Lottery selection will take place to determine which students will be eligible to complete a registration packet and start the program in September. The Curriculum/UPK Office will email ALL applicants, as soon as possible, after the lottery selection to notify students if they were selected or placed on the waiting list. Parents will be notified via email and asked to confirm receipt of the email notification. If we do not receive confirmation that you received the email, we will then attempt to reach you by phone.

During the application process, you will indicate your first or second choice for each of the UPK providers that participate in the program. We will place students in their first choice unless that provider is full, or your child has certain medical and/or physical needs that dictate they be placed at a specific UPK provider. If your child does not have any medical and/or physical needs and their first choice is full, then we will move to the second choice, then the third choice, etc. until a placement is available. If you forfeit your UPK spot, you will be moved to the bottom of the waiting list.

If your child is selected during the lottery and currently has any medical and/or physical needs that have been documented by a physician, and we are able to meet those needs at a specific UPK provider, your child will be placed at that provider regardless of your first, second, third choice, etc. Your child’s medical, physical, and/or special needs may dictate which provider they will need to be placed. If your child develops any needs that are documented by a physician after they have already been placed at one of the UPK providers, we retain the right to switch your child’s placement to the UPK provider where those needs can best be met regardless of the time of year.

If, for any reason, a child drops out of the UPK program, the next family on the waiting list will be offered the vacant spot. If the family declines the vacancy for any reason, they will be removed from the waiting list and no longer eligible to participate in the UPK program. The next child on the waiting list will be offered the vacant spot.

Yes. Please directly contact the Pre-Kindergarten provider you are interested in to enroll and pay for your child.

All questions regarding additional hours, before-care and after-care, should be addressed directly with the UPK provider.

Yes. If you are definite about where you would like your child to attend Pre-Kindergarten, we recommend you pre-register at that provider to guarantee your child a spot in September. This does not guarantee you will be selected for free Pre-K.

If you pre-register at one of the UPK providers the district contracts with for UPK services, and your child is selected for UPK, the UPK provider will refund the registration fee you previously paid. If, however, you choose to pre-register your child at a Pre-Kindergarten provider that the district does NOT contract with for UPK services, and your child is selected for UPK, it is up to that Pre-Kindergarten provider to decide whether they will refund any registration fees you paid when you pre-registered your child.

The lottery selection process does not give preference to families with twins, triplets, etc. Each child is entered as an individual student and will be selected at random. The selection of one twin or triplet has no effect on the selection number of any other siblings during the lottery selection process.

We highly recommend that families with multiples pre-register their children at their first choice of UPK provider. Most of the UPK providers offer pre-registration in order to guarantee your child’s spot in September. If one twin is selected during the lottery and one is placed on the waiting list, it would be up to the parent/guardian to decide if they were able and willing to pay for the other twin to attend the same UPK provider.

You must provide court documentation at time of registration. In addition, you must notify the UPK provider. We recommend that you follow up with the UPK provider to be sure that all the proper safeguards are in place.

A Health Inventory form and a NYS School Health Examination form is required as part of the registration process. The UPK nurse will review these forms and if your child is selected, you will meet with the UPK nurse during registration. Any serious medical condition must be reported directly to the UPK nurse and also to the UPK provider. We recommend that you follow up with the UPK provider to be sure that all the proper safeguards are in place.

Children must receive all first age/grade level appropriate doses, or overdue follow-up doses if they already received prior doses in a series, within 14 days from the first day of instruction for the school year and must provide evidence of age appropriate appointments for the next follow-up doses, in accordance with the ACIP schedule, within 30 days of the first day of attendance.

No. NYS no longer offers a religious exemption for immunizations.

No. NYS no longer offers a medical exemption for immunizations.