Early Learning
As per the 2025 enacted State budget, there have been significant changes regarding prekindergarten funding for the 2024-2025 school year. This memo provides information to help school districts understand their current funding sources, Universal Prekindergarten (UPK) allocations and/or Statewide Universal Full-Day Prekindergarten, for the purpose of Prekindergarten programming.
UPK – Allocation (Project # 0409)
UPK funds are allocated to school districts in accordance with a formula set forth in Section 3602-e (10) of Education Law. The 2024-2025 UPK State-Funded Allocations list will allow districts to determine:
- The maximum aid that the district is eligible to receive for the 2024-2025 school year (Column C).
- The maximum number of 3 and 4-year-old half-day students that can be funded (Column D and H).
- The maximum number of 3 and 4-year-old Full-Day students that can funded (Column E and I).
- The number of 3 and 4-year-old students that must be served for a district to access its full UPK allocation (Column F and J).
- Total allocation for 3-year-old students (Column G) and total allocation for 4-year-old students (Column K).
Please Note: If a district previously received a Federal UPK allocation, this has now been incorporated into State UPK. If a district intends to utilize this funding, an FS-10 (proposed budget) is required.
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Statewide Universal Full-Day Prekindergarten (SUFDPK) Grant Awards (2014-2015) (Project # 0545)
Awarded to districts during the 2014-2015 school year for the provision of full-day 4-year-old Prekindergarten. Using the Statewide Universal Full-Day Prekindergarten (SUFDPK) Grant Award (2014-2015) chart, districts will be able to determine the maximum award received. Per pupil rate is dependent on teacher certification:
- $10,000 per pupil when served by a teacher of record with É«ÖÐÉ« teacher certification in the early childhood grades or a teaching license or certificate for students with disabilities valid for service in early childhood grades.
- $7,000 per pupil when served by a teacher of record without valid É«ÖÐÉ« teacher certification in early childhood grades.
Please Note: This funding source remains unchanged and therefore, if a district intends to utilize this funding, an FS-10 (proposed budget) is required.
Statewide Universal Full Day Prekindergarten (SUFDPK) Consolidated Grant Awards (Awarded 2021-2022, 2022-2023, and 2023-2024) (NEW - Project # 0548)
As per the FY 2025 enacted state budget, SUFDPK funds awarded in any of the fiscal years listed above, including the Federal SUFDPK and the newly awarded RFP, have been consolidated into one single funding source (Project #0548). Awards are for the provision of full-day 4-year-old Prekindergarten. Using the SUFDPK Consolidated Grant Award list, districts will be able to determine the maximum award received. Per pupil rate is dependent on teacher certification:
- $10,000 per pupil when served by a teacher of record with É«ÖÐÉ« teacher certification in the early childhood grades or a teaching license or certificate for students with disabilities valid for service in early childhood grades.
- $7,000 per pupil when served by a teacher of record without valid É«ÖÐÉ« teacher certification in early childhood grades.
Please Note: This is now considered a single funding source and therefore, if a district intends to utilize this funding, an FS-10 (proposed budget) is required.
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Spending Order
The FY 2025 enacted State budget removes the supplement not supplant requirement for State funds, allowing school districts to access their SUFDPK grant awards prior to accessing or even exhausting their UPK allocations. Please note that the removal of supplement not supplant language only impacts those districts who receive both UPK allocations and SUFDPK grant awards. For more information, please see the May 6th memo Field Guidance for 2025 New Law.
If you have specific question regarding your funding or require guidance for the 2024-2025 school year, please contact the Office of Early Learning at (518) 474-5807 or OEL@nysed.gov.
