Completed applications may be mailed, dropped off in-person at Bay Trail Middle School, 1760 Scribner Rd., ATTN: Mary Sapone or emailed to Kimberly Grove at KGrove@penfield.edu and Mary Sapone at MSapone@penfield.edu.

If mailing applications, please mail them to:

Mary Sapone
Bay Trail Middle School
1760 Scribner Rd.
Penfield, NY 14526

UPK is a free preschool experience made possible through grants from the New York State Education Department (NYSED). As long as the funding remains available and as long as the district has the human resources to coordinate the program, the district can offer the program.

Yes. There is no cost for those students selected through the lottery selection process as the program is paid for by the grants.

UPK is not mandatory. Families are not required to send children to UPK. Districts are also not required to have a UPK program.

Penfield Central School District children who turn four (4) years of age on or before December 1, 2024 are eligible for the program. To apply, you must complete a Universal Prekindergarten Application. Children who turn five are not eligible per New York State regulations. 

Penfield will utilize the following Community Based Organizations (CBOs): Children's Continuous Care, Care A Lot ~ Fairport and Browncroft Daycare. Additional locations TBA.

Families interested in UPK will complete and application during the open enrollment period.

Information regarding open enrollment for the 2024-25 school year is coming soon.

Families will be notified by email if their child has been selected for UPK or if they have been placed on a waitlist.

Students who are not selected through the lottery have the option to be placed on a waitlist. If any vacancies occur during the year, those vacancies will be filled through the use of the wait list until the wait list has been exhausted.

The  UPK Lottery is typically held in mid-April.

Each child will be assigned a number and numbers will be chosen through a random lottery system.

Each child will be assigned a unique number for the lottery.  This includes children residing in the same household.

No. All completed, eligible applications will be included in the rubric/ lottery selection process.

On the application, families will rank the CBOs they are interested in. 

The program follows the school calendar and runs weekdays for 5 ½ hours per day. Specific start and end times will be determined by the CBOs. UPK does not run in the summer. The application indicates if a CBO has wrap-around care available. Families will need to incur the cost of wrap-around care.

This is dependent on the CBO and the size of the classroom space and teachers and aides available. Larger classroom spaces will accommodate more students. The average class size will be 18 students.

According to NYS, a classroom size of 18 students or less requires 1 teacher and 1 aide. Classrooms of 19 or 20 students require 1 teacher and 2 aides.

Yes, breakfast and lunch will be provided by Penfield CSD, free of charge to families.

While nap time is not required, a period of quiet time is recommended.

No, families will need to provide transportation as transportation costs are not allotted for in the grant funding provided by NYS.

Families will work with the district's CPSE Chairperson, Mary Sapone.

The district will work with the CBOs to deliver common and consistent curriculum which addresses the NYS Pre-Kindergarten Learning Standards: social/emotional learning, communication, language, literacy, ELA, math, science, social studies, technology etc.

The NYS Pre-Kindergarten Learning Standards can be found here.

Each CBO site has their own policy on food allergies in their classrooms.  We encourage families to connect with the CBO to make an individual plan which addresses their child's unique needs. 

CBOs will be required to follow the same COVID-19 protocols as the school district.

Each CBO site has strict policies on who enters and exits the building. The CBO will have required paperwork for families which will likely include typical emergency contact information and information on who can pick up the child. Also, each CBO site will be Office of Family and Children Services approved. 

The application indicates which CBOs will offer wrap-around care. Families will need to incur the cost of wrap-around care.