Universal Pre-K

In the spring of 1999, legislation was passed by the New York State Legislature to begin offering Universal Pre-Kindergarten program services in New York State elementary schools. The idea was to provide learning support to as many children and families as possible. The funding for the Universal Pre-Kindergarten programs comes from the New York State Education Department and is granted to city school districts based on enrollment needs.

The NYS Education Department accepted a proposal submitted by the Albany City School District for collaboration with Albany Community Action Partnership to provide Universal Pre-Kindergarten and Head Start programs. The proposal led to a successful partnership that has thrived for the past several years. Programming has also expanded to become available in Berne, Cohoes, and Watervliet.

Albany Community Action Partnership currently has several Head Start classrooms integrated within Universal Pre-Kindergarten programs in the Albany City School District. We have two elementary school based classrooms in the City of Albany; one located within Arbor Hill Elementary School on Arbor Drive, and one within Giffen Memorial Elementary School on South Pearl Street.

Albany Community Action Partnership also has three Universal Pre-Kindergarten classrooms within our Early Learning Center on Monroe Street in downtown Albany. Special funding allows us to extend the operating program day in order to provide care for children whose parents work or attend school full time.

We also have Univeral Pre-Kindergarten classrooms at our Lincoln Square and Olivia Rorie Head Start Centers in Albany.

In addition to this collaboration with the Albany City School District, in the fall of 2006 Albany Community Action Partnership began collaboration with the Watervliet City School District and has opened three Universal Pre-Kindergarten classrooms within the Watervliet Elementary School on Tenth Avenue in Watervliet.

Our collaboration in Cohoes provides a Universal Pre-Kindergarten classroom at our Ogden Mills Head Start Center.

Our Collaboration with the Berne- Knox-Westerlo school district provides two half-day session Universal Pre-Kindergarten classrooms at the Berne-Knox-Westerlo Elementary School.

For information about locations and hours, please view the Early Childhood Education and Child Care Centers page.