Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program Registration

Full Day - UPK at Windermere Boulevard, 291 Windermere Boulevard
Hours: 9 a.m.- 2:30 p.m.
Wrap-around care provided through Just for Kids.

Full Day - UPK at Smallwood Drive Elementary, 300 Smallwood Drive
Hours: 8 a.m.- 1:30 p.m.
Wrap-around care provided through Just for Kids.

Full Day - Amherst Community Church Child Care Center, 77 Washington Highway
Hours: 9 a.m.- 2:30 p.m.
Wrap-around care provided by ACCCCC. It is self-pay. Contact Andrea O’Hern, ACCCCC Director, at 834-9701 for more information.

Half-Day - Amherst Nursery School, 350 Saratoga Road
Hours: 9:15 - 11:45 a.m. (morning session only)
Amherst Nursery School does not offer any before or after school care.

How does the lottery work?
All names will be entered into a random, digitized lottery process to determine acceptance into the UPK program. Students who are not selected via the lottery will be placed on a wait list.  Not all families who register for UPK are guaranteed a spot in the program. The lottery will be held on a scheduled date after the registration deadline. Parents will be notified of the lottery results by email within two days of the drawing. A letter from the district will be sent to parents prior to April 1. Classroom assignments are mailed to families in August.

How does the wait list work?
Applications received after the registration deadline and families not selected in the lottery will be put on a wait list. The District will maintain a wait list for students. As seats open up, parents will be notified by phone.

No. UPK is a New York State grant-funded educational program. There is no cost for the program. Any additional child care hours/costs for students outside of the UPK hours are the parent’s responsibility and arranged directly with the childcare facility.

Amherst Central Schools Full Day UPK program will include the same wonderful components of our half day program along with additional extended time for gross motor activities, instructional reinforcement of Literacy and Math concepts as well as lunch and rest time. 

Our UPK curriculum ensures developmentally appropriate content aligned with NYS Learning Standards while providing an environment that promotes social-emotional development. Engaging learning centers are frequently utilized to promote play, communication skills, social-emotional skills, fine motor development, and skill reinforcement in ELA, Math and Science. 

The full day program begins with a Morning Meeting that brings the class together as a community of learners to start the day. Next, breakfast is served, family style, which allows for social and self-help skills to be fostered and modeled by our highly qualified teachers. Whole group story time and reading lessons occur during circle time, as well as opportunities for play at one of the classroom learning centers. These centers include art, math manipulatives, blocks, sand/water, and computers. The dramatic play area models real-life settings such as a house, store, restaurant, or post office. Our monthly themes allow for science and social studies content to be connected throughout our daily learning. Additional time in our full day is designated not only for extended academic time but for social skill development, gross motor opportunities and rest time. The day ends with a Closing Circle where students recall the learning from the day while also helping to build a positive classroom community

Yes, all students attending Amherst Central Schools get breakfast and lunch free of charge. Children eat breakfast and lunch in our full day classrooms (snack in our half day classroom). Meals are served family-style which means we try to achieve the feeling one would get if they sat down to a meal with their family at a dinner table. Meals will be served in the classroom. Staff and children will sit down together. Children will learn self-help skills as they serve themselves and pass the food. They will socialize, learn about nutrition and practice table manners.

Yes. All of our full-day and half-day programs are five day a week programs. Regular attendance is important.

Yes. If your child receives special education services, they are eligible for UPK. Students who attend a special education preschool program due to their individual needs should consult with their preschool provider when considering making a change to UPK. Students who receive related services may receive services during the day at UPK.