Rockville Centre schools receive grant for UPK expansion
Pre-K enrollment numbers show increase across Long Island
Rockville Centre schools have been awarded $360,000 from the state Education Department to help expand universal prekindergarten opportunities for the district’s youngest learners.
“We are very happy to have received the grant,” Superintendent Matt Gaven said. “The additional funding is a welcome addition as we look to continue to find ways to offer our parents access to the UPK program here in RVC.”
The district is one of 64 statewide to receive a portion of the $34 million provided through the universal pre-K expansion grant program, which aims to enable districts to establish new full-day pre-K placements or to convert existing placements from half- to full-day schedules.
As a result, districts awarded grants can operate a 180-day program during the 2024-2025 school year.
“When children enroll in high-quality and effective pre-K programs, they gain a significant advantage in early skills that prepare them for success in elementary school,” Regents Chancellor Lester Young Jr., said in a statement. “Expanding access to full-day pre-K programs through these grants will help more of New York’s children succeed.”
The newly renovated classroom spaces are equipped with all-new flooring, energy-efficient lighting, and new furniture. Students will also have access to the playground and gymnasium at designated times throughout the day.
In recent years, the district’s UPK program was only offered at the Friedberg JCC in Oceanside, due to a lack of available space within the five elementary schools. Based on the one-year cooperative commitment with the village, the district will continue to provide classes at the JCC location, in addition to the 36 new seats offered at the Recreation Center.
“We put together the (grant) application as we were working with the village to lease space for additional sections of UPK here in the village,” Gaven said. “We will use the money for the contracted services with the JCC, the lease payment for the Rec, and professional development sessions for the JCC teachers of our UPK program to ensure that our programs are aligned at both the Oceanside site and at the Village Rec.”
All public school districts in the state were eligible to apply for the competitive expansion grant. Grants were awarded based on a district’s plans to serve a community’s highest-need schools and students, the level of existing pre-K services, the extent in which a district plans to maximize the total number of eligible four-year-old students served and other factors.
According to figures provided by the state’s Office of Early Learning, about 59 percent of 4-year-olds on Long Island were served by a prekindergarten program in either a half-day or full-day setting during the 2022-2023 school year.
Thanks to the efforts of the state education department, access to pre-K services have increased across Long Island and throughout the state. Based on the figures, only 48 percent of eligible students on Long Island were served during the 2021-2022 school year. Prior to that, UPK programs only served about 31 percent of eligible students on Long Island.
“When we provide equitable opportunities for children in their early years, they reap the benefits throughout their lives,” Betty Rosa, commissioner of the state Education Department, said in a statement. “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.”
