Queensbury Union Free School District has been awarded a Universal Prekindergarten Expansion Grant that will help cover the cost of the new, fifth UPK classroom that is being added in September. The district applied for and was awarded the full amount of $194,000, which will cover salary costs, curriculum and furniture for the new classroom.
âThe first year of our UPK program has been a tremendous success,â said Queensbury UFSD Superintendent of Schools Kyle Gannon, âand we are excited to receive this grant funding. Our Board of Education has been highly supportive of our plans to expand the UPK program. The district is committed to giving more Queensbury children access to this high-quality, full-day early education.â
The New York State Education Department awarded $34 million in UPK Expansion Grants to 64 school districts across the state this week. The grants will enable districts to establish new full-day prekindergarten placements or to convert existing placements from half- to full-day, according to a statement from Commissioner Betty A. Rosa.
âWhen we provide equitable opportunities for children in their early years, they reap the benefits throughout their lives,â Rosa said in a statement. âThe department is deeply committed to providing a strong educational foundation to every single child in New York â because that is what each of them deserves.â
Grants were awarded based upon a districtâs plan to serve a communityâs highest need schools and students; the level of existing prekindergarten services; the extent to which a district planned to maximize the total number of eligible 4-year-old children served in its programs; and other factors.
Queensbury has previously been awarded a state education grant in the amount of $582,316, which covered the cost of the first year of the four sections of Queensbury UPK.