Universal Pre-K

Thank you for your interest in Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK). UPK is a New York State grant-funded program to prepare 4-year-olds for kindergarten. All New Rochelle residents, with children born in 2017, are eligible to apply for an open lottery seat at either Barnard Early Childhood Center or an approved community-based organization. UPK registration is for one academic year. When ready to enter Kindergarten, students may begin at their neighborhood school or reenter the lottery for a kindergarten seat, if available at a school offering magnet programming.

In years past the district utilized a paper and pencil process for interested families to register their student(s) for the UPK and Magnet Lottery. This year, the City School District of New Rochelle will be moving toward an online application process. This move will allow the district to manage applications with greater efficiency.  In addition, this will minimize the need for families to travel to various locations to complete the lottery entrance process, allowing families to complete registration any day and at any time in the comfort of their own home via technology available to them.  We believe that a move to an online process will enable us to proceed with less face-to-face interactions and minimize the spread of COVID-19.

You may enter the UPK lottery by clicking here.

You may enter the Magnet lottery by clicking here.

The actual lottery itself will take place on March 15th and families will subsequently be notified.

If you are interested in learning more, please:

1) Pre-Register for a UPK & Magnet Virtual Open House

English Session (Wednesday, February 24th English at 6 PM)             

Register in advance for this meeting:

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcsd-upqDwvHdFgNEP2r4-5PQPm3kK65cjO After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Spanish Session (Wednesday, February 24th Spanish at 7 PM) 

Register in advance for this meeting: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEqf--pqz4tHtfN_LCGkbZe2ESymCwaWTaG After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. 

2) Review the New Rochelle 2021-2022 Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) Providers List to the right of this column and begin to prioritize your top three choices.  When you enter the lottery, you will be asked to rank your top three choices. 

3) Call the Office of Curriculum and Instruction at (914) 576-4300, extension: 39136 or email CSDNRRegistration@nredlearn.org.

The list below provides a complete list of schools and agencies that provide UPK Programming in our area. 

Henry Barnard School 129 Barnard Rd, New Rochelle, NY 10801

JCC of Mid-Westchester 999 Wilmot Road, Scarsdale, NY 10583 

New Rochelle Day Nursery 115 Clinton Avenue, New Rochelle, NY 10801

New Rochelle YMCA 50 Weyman Avenue, New Rochelle, NY 10805

Preschool Learning Center 95 Eastchester Road, New Rochelle, NY 10801

The Children’s Center 50 Pintard Avenue, New Rochelle, NY 10801

Weekday Nursery School 1200 North Avenue, New Rochelle, NY 10804 

Westchester Community Opportunity Program, Inc. (WestCOP) 95 Lincoln Avenue, New Rochelle, NY 

Click here to learn more about each site.

You may access the Office of Registration here.