The West Hempstead school district continues its commitment to early childhood education through its Universal Pre-Kindergarten program, offered in partnership with SCOPE at Chestnut Street School. The district also works with both Yeshiva Har Torah and the Hebrew Academy of Nassau County to provide Universal Pre-Kindergarten opportunities.
Designed to support the district’s youngest learners, the program provides 4-year-old children with a strong foundation for success in kindergarten and beyond. The district’s UPK program offers a structured, nurturing environment where children begin building the skills and confidence they will carry into their elementary years.
“We provide the building blocks of physical, social and emotional development as well as the basics of language, literacy, thinking, and cognitive skills,” Lisa Minicozzi, Chestnut Street School principal, said. “Through our UPK program, the West Hempstead school district is able to strengthen the foundations of early learning so that all West Hempstead children are ready to thrive in kindergarten and beyond.”
The district is committed to enrolling as many children as possible in order to expand access to high-quality educational opportunities. The UPK program at Chestnut runs daily from 9:15 a.m. to 2:15 p.m., with snacks provided. In addition to early academic skills, the program emphasizes social development – helping children build routines, relationships and confidence before entering kindergarten.
The same is offered at the partner programs, though timing may differ.
“Investing in early learning programs like UPK yields strong results,” Minicozzi said. “Our programs are developmentally appropriate, closely monitored and aligned not only with state standards, but with our district’s mission and vision.”
Research consistently shows that universal access to pre-K supports long-term academic success and social development. According to Minicozzi, enrolling students early allows the district to better support children and families during these critical formative years.
“The sooner we can get them in our seats in our district, the sooner we can envelop them into our pre-K program, and the sooner they’ll reap the benefits,” she said.
Registration for the UPK program is ongoing. Children who are legal residents of the West Hempstead school district and will be 4 years old by Dec. 1, 2026 are eligible to apply for the 2026-2027 UPK program.
Families interested in registering their child for UPK can contact Desiree Ventura, secretary to the principal at Chestnut Street School, at (516) 390-3150 or email her at dventura@whufsd.com.
For further information on the partner programs, you can call the Hebrew Academy of Nassau County at (516) 565-5640 and Yeshiva Har Torah at (718) 343-2533.
