ANNOUNCEMENTS:

The Valley Stream 30 Central School District will be operating a New York State grant-funded Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program at Clear Stream Avenue, Forest Road and Shaw Avenue elementary schools during the 2021-2022 school year. The program is open to children residing in the school district who turn 4-years-old on or before Dec. 1 of the current school year.

This state and district-funded program follows the Valley Stream District 30 school calendar and runs five days a week from Monday through Friday from 8:15 a.m. to 2:50 p.m. It provides educationally-based, high-quality pre-kindergarten to 4-year-old children and is free to all eligible students. One section of 18 students will be available at each of the district’s three elementary schools and the program will be overseen by the building principals.

Led by New York State certified teachers, UPK classes will engage in developmentally appropriate activities to help prepare them for kindergarten. This includes focusing on reading readiness and early literacy development, math skills, social and self-help skills, science lessons and discovery, large and fine motor activities, special enrichment and exposure to both fiction and non-fiction literature. The district’s office of curriculum and instruction oversee the curriculum and resources for the program.

Due to limited budget funding, transportation for children enrolled in the UPK program is not provided. Parents and guardians are responsible for getting their child to and from the program.

Registration is now open and children are selected for the program through a random lottery process. Income eligibility is not a factor and all families are encouraged to apply. All parents and guardians must register their students for the lottery to be eligible for UPK. Registration packets can be picked up at one of the three elementary schools (Clear Stream Avenue, Forest Road, Shaw Avenue). Once you receive your registration packet, please call the central registration office at (516) 434-3646 to set up an appointment to complete your registration. Parents and guardians should bring the following documents to their appointment:

●    Your child’s original birth certificate.
●    Immunization records.
●    Parent/Guardian photo ID (driver’s license or passport).
●    (3) proofs of the parent/guardian residency.
●    Completed Universal Pre-K application.
●    IF APPLICABLE – Custody paperwork.
●    IF APPLICABLE – Affidavit if they do not own or lease their own residency.

Once your registration is complete, your child’s name will be entered into the lottery. All registration paperwork must be submitted by June 17. While the district would like to accommodate all requests, it is possible that not all children who register will get into the program due to the limited amount of slots available. All student placement will be determined through the lottery system.

The names of all students who will be entered in the lottery will be posted on the Valley Stream District 30 website, valleystream30.com, by close of day Friday, June 18. The lottery will be held virtually on Wednesday, June 23 at 6:30 p.m. A link will be posted on the Valley Stream District 30 website to access the lottery live and a recorded version will be posted as well. The district will also mail acceptance letters to all families who are selected for the program.

If a child does not get into the program through the lottery, they still have the opportunity to join during the school year as sometimes openings are created by exiting students. If an opening does not exist at the time, all eligible students may be placed on a waiting list and could be contacted when an opening does occur.

For more information on the UPK program, please visit valleystream30.com.