New York

New York State launched its Universal Pre-K (UPK) program in 1998, merging it with the state’s targeted pre-K program in 2007. In 2014, the Statewide Universal Full-Day Prekindergarten Program (SUFDPK) was created by statute (Chapter 53 of the Laws of 2014); the program allocated $340 million for grants to incentivize and fund full-day UPK programs across the state; $300 million of this funding went to launch New York City’s UPK program, and the remaining $40 million was disbursed across the state to expand full-day programs. Thanks to these expansion efforts, 52% of the state’s 4-year-olds were enrolled in public pre-K. The percentage dropped to 46% in 2021 but returned to 52% in 2022. As part of the 2022 enacted budget, the state allocated an additional $90 million for noncompetitive awards to districts that had not yet received state funding to support UPK, and $15 million for competitive grants to expand full-day seats for 4-year-olds. The competitive grants are awarded through an RFP process, overseen by the state’s Office of Early Learning. In 2023, the state appropriated an additional $25 million for statewide pre-K grants to create either new full-day slots, or to expand half-day slots to full-day slots for 4-year-olds; this round of funding will be awarded through an RFP process.

Sources:
New York State Department of Education. (n.d.). 2023-2024 Universal Prekindergarten Expansion Grant.
New York State Department of Education. (n.d.). Questions and Answers for GC 22-010a - Universal Prekindergarten Expansion Grant.
National Institute for Early Education Research. (2023). New York.

Since recreational cannabis use was legalized in 2021, New York’s cannabis tax revenue has gone into the New York State Cannabis Revenue Fund, 40% of which is to be allocated to the Community Grants Reinvestment Fund. This money can be applied to after-school and childcare services in communities, as well as "services to address adverse childhood experiences." The first disbursement of this fund is planned for 2023.

Launched in 2014, New York City's universal Pre-Kfor All program serves 4-year-old children across the city's 5 boroughs. Pre-K for All was followed by a pilot of 3-K for All, a version of the program for 3-year-olds, in 2017. Pre-K for All operates through a mixed-delivery system, and children are served by community-based organizations, public schools, and Pre-K Centers, the last of which are pre-K and 3-K-only facilities run by Department of Education (DOE) staff. All 4-year-olds are eligible for "School Day" slots, which provide education and care for 6 hours and 20 minutes a day during the school year, which typically runs from September to June. Some families are eligible for additional programs, including extended-day and extended-year education and care. Expansion efforts in the City are currently stalled as a new administration may pull back expanding access for both pre-K and 3K.

Sources:
New York State Education Department. (n.d.). Universal Prekindergarten Expansion Funding.
New York Times. (2023). New York City’s Pre-K System Was a Model. Now Employees Say It’s a Mess.
New York City Public Schools. (n.d.). 3-K for All & Pre-K for All Handbook.

Established in 2010, New York Works for Children (NYWC) is New York State's integrated professional development system for early education professionals. NYWC offers both training (offered in multiple languages and formats) and coaching to teachers, teaching teams, directors, administrators, family care workers, and assistant teachers and aides. Coaches can work with a participant for a year or more, and each one-on-one coaching session lasts for a minimum of 30 minutes. Early education professionals can receive training/professional development credit for participating in coaching. NYWC also coordinates the Aspire Registry, which is a professional registry designed to help early educators find and track their progress through high-quality professional development. NYWC is funded by multiple city and state agencies; it was founded by the Early Childhood Advisory Council's Workforce Development Workgroup in 2010. Today, the New York Early Childhood Professional Development Institute, a public-private partnership, leads NYWC and manages the day-to-day operations.

Source:

New York Works for Children. (n.d.).