A1: The UPK Program is a grant-funded program by the New York State Education Department that provides free preschool education to age-eligible residents (four years old by December 1, 2025). ​

A2: Children who are residing within the South Huntington Union Free School District and are four years old by December 1st are eligible. ​ Children who are age-eligible to attend kindergarten are not eligible for UPK enrollment. ​

A3:The program will be based on the South Huntington School District calendar for the 2025-2026 school year.

​ A4:       Half Day Classes: 2.5 hours per day, 5 days per week. ​

• South Huntington Intervention Preschool (SHIP) at Oakwood Primary Center:
  • AM: 9:00 am – 11:30 am 
  • PM: 12:30 pm – 3:00 pm 

Full Day Classes: 5 hours per day, 5 days per week. ​

• Birchwood Intermediate School: 9:30 am – 2:30 pm ​
• James Kaden Admin. ​ Office (JKAO): 9:00 am – 2:00 pm 
• Maplewood Intermediate School: 9:30 am – 2:30 pm 
• Silas Wood 6th Grade Center: 8:45 am – 1:45 pm

A5: Breakfast and lunch is available at no cost for all full-day students during the 2025-2026 school year.  Snacks are also provided for all students at all locations. ​

 A6: No, transportation is not provided. ​ Parents/guardians are responsible for drop-off and pick-up. ​

A7: Parents interested in applying for a half-day or full-day seat must apply during the application period before starting the registration process. ​

A8: Yes, students placed in SHIP by the Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE) are part of an integrated preschool program.  These students are not part of the UPK lottery process because placement is determined by their IEP. ​ However, CPSE students must register for the program. ​

A9: South Huntington collaborates with SCOPE Education Services to coordinate preschool classes within the District. ​

A10: "Many students, when asked, “What did you do in school today?” will answer, “Nothing!” This is far from the truth in South Huntington’s UPK classes! UPK classes utilize the curriculum “Three Cheers for Pre-K,” by Savvas. This curriculum has nine themes that the students will explore throughout the school year.

The typical daily preschool schedule includes a variety of activities that promote cognitive, physical, social, and emotional growth. 

Each day, the teacher will host a Morning Meeting for approximately fifteen minutes. The Morning Meeting is the foundation of everything that will happen in the classroom that day. Morning Meeting is a daily ritual of taking attendance and discussing the calendar, the weather, and the events of the day. During this time, the students will sing songs and check in with their teacher about how they feel. 

Storytime is usually a favorite for the students and is typically around fifteen minutes of each day. The Storytime book is theme-based, so the children can make connections and learn new vocabulary. It is an excellent opportunity to use imagination and strengthen language development. 

Throughout the day, the children will engage in Literacy, Math, Science, Social Studies and Technology Circles. Each Circle will last fifteen to twenty minutes. The Literacy Circle will include concept vocabulary, alphabet knowledge, phonological awareness, and print concepts. The children will be given a variety of culturally diverse reading, both fiction and nonfiction. They will build motivation to read, gain print awareness, and language development. 

During Math Circle, the children will engage in various activities relating to mathematical concepts including: number identification, counting, concepts such as more/less than, patterns, same and different, geometric shapes, spatial relationships, and even addition and subtraction!

Science Circles will allow students to utilize various tools, such as scales, magnifying glasses, magnets, nature, etc., and explore the natural phenomenon of the world they live in. 

The Social Studies Circle is an opportunity for students to work together, play pretend, build with blocks, read short stories or listen to songs, practice becoming a good citizen of their community, and learn how they relate to others. 

Technology is part of the typical UPK day with use of the Smartboard and Chromebook. There are various games which consist of literacy, math, and drawing activities that the students love to participate in.

Centers are typically the favorite part of the UPK student’s day. Center Time is approximately sixty minutes. During Centers, the teacher will plan activities based on the theme of the week. Activities during Centers will include various stations for each child to visit that include art, math, writing, dramatic play, sensory play, building, reading and listening, and more. The students have the opportunity to choose toys they play with and activities they would like to engage in, although some activities will be encouraged to be completed more than others. 

Movement and Outdoor Play is vital to a preschool day. Movement activities are spread out throughout the day, and are, in total, around 90-110 minutes. Developmentally, the students have the need to engage in movement activities. These activities include dancing, following direction games, stretching, yoga, bean bag and scarf dancing, utilizing instruments, and more. Outdoor activities range from climbing on the playground, playing ball and running with friends, to playing games like “Red light, Green light,” “Mother May I,” completing obstacle courses with various physical education equipment, or drawing with chalk on the sidewalk. Movement activities can be theme-based or used to teach concepts such as following directions. 

The students spend a lot of time eating in UPK as well! Each meal is approximately thirty minutes. They are provided breakfast and lunch by South Huntington’s wonderful Nutrition Services Department and one snack if time allows. During this time the students will learn eating etiquette, manners, engage in social conversations with peers and teachers, and sometimes play a game on the Smartboard.

At the end of each day, the class will gather for ten minutes to say goodbye and share any concerns or feelings they may have" - Diana Pollack UPK Teacher at JKAO

A daily UPK schedule may look something like this:

Arrival/ Breakfast - 30 minutes

Morning Meeting - 15 minutes

Movement/Music Activities - 25 minutes

Storytime - 15 minutes

Outdoor Time - 20-25 minutes

Lunch - 30 minutes

Math Circle - 15 minutes

Center Time - 60 minutes

Social Studies/Science or Technology Circle - 15 minutes

Movement activities - 30 minutes

Snack Time - 15 minutes

Movement Activities - 15 minutes

Day’s end Meeting - 10 minutes

A11: No, there are only a specific number of placements for the Pre-K program, which is determined by New York State. We do not yet know that number for the 2025-2026 school year.  Placements will be determined by a lottery process. All those not securing a placement through the lottery will be placed on a waiting list.

A12: No, all names will be entered into the lottery and only the names drawn will be granted admittance. In addition, multiple children in the same family are not guaranteed placement in the same building.

A13: At this time, there are no before or after care options available at our locations.  We are currently meeting with community-based organizations for more information about before/after care options.  As new information becomes available it will be provided.

A14: Yes, after all slots are filled, the remaining lottery numbers are added onto a wait-list. If students drop out of the program before the start of the school year, the Registration Office will contact families on the wait list in their lottery order.