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Prekindergarten Data

The Office of Early Learning has created this resource in an effort to provide timely access to prekindergarten data. Typical data requests include counts of prekindergarten children served and counts and types of prekindergarten programs providing such services. This resource may be useful to school districts’ Boards of Education, advocacy groups, researchers, educators, students, and their families. Users are also encouraged to access provided resources and research which share the long-term effects and benefits of an early start for children in prekindergarten.

New York State (NYS) Administered Prekindergarten Fast Facts

The New York State (NYS) Administered Prekindergarten Fast Facts provides an overview of State and federally funded prekindergarten programs, including the research-based benefits of such programs.

 

Disclaimer

There are differences in the data provided within this resource when compared to data provided in the New York State Education Department’s Education at a Glance public data website. Such differences are summarized in the table below.

 

NYSED’s Education at a Glance OEL’s Data Webpage
  • Child counts based on NYSED’s BEDS Day for PreK in mid-March each year
  • Child counts include students funded by UPK allocations and SUFDPK, including both new full day slots and conversion slots
  • Child counts collected in SIRS

Please contact the Office of Early Learning for further clarification and verification of the data provided in this resource.

Data Resources

School year enrollment data is available when it is finalized the following September. Data for the 2022-2023 school year became available in September 2023.

OEL has compiled demographics data for prekindergarten students served in New York State Administered Prekindergarten programs for the above listed school years. There are differences in the prekindergarten data provided by OEL resources when compared to data provided in the New York State Education Department’s Education at a Glance public data website. Child counts from NYSED's Education at a Glance website are based on traditional BEDS Day, the first Wednesday in October each year. Child counts from OEL resources are based on NYSED’s Child Counts Day for PreK in mid-March each year. As a result, OEL's 2021-2022 counts of half-day and full-day prekindergarten students are greater by 642 (3.3%) and 8,070 (6.5%) students, respectively. Calculated counts of prekindergarten students have been adjusted using these proportions.

The New York State Education Department defines Emergent Multilingual Learners (EML) as prekindergarten students who enter prekindergarten with a home or primary language other than English. The Office of Early Learning and the Office of Bilingual Education & English as a New Language provide resources to support serving EMLs. EML data is self-reported by State-Administered Prekindergarten programs in annual NYS Prekindergarten Final Program Reports.

Research Supporting Prekindergarten

National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER)

The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) improves the learning and development of young children by producing and communicating knowledge that transforms policy and practice. NIEER collaborates with a network of local, state, national, and international leaders to design, conduct, and disseminate rigorous research, evaluation, and policy analysis. NIEER also helps prepare the next generation of inspirational leaders and researchers in early education. NIEER publishes its annual State of Preschool Yearbook.

NYS Early Childhood Advisory Council (NYSECAC)'s Early Childhood Data Dashboard

The New York State Early Childhood Advisory Council (NYSECAC) provides strategic direction and advice to the Governor and State of New York on early childhood issues. By monitoring and guiding the implementation of a range of strategies, the ECAC supports New York in building a comprehensive and sustainable early childhood system that will ensure success for all young children. Its Early Childhood Data Dashboard includes information about demographics, available slots, and childcare market rates.

The Long-Term Effects of Universal Preschool in Boston

This National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) working paper explores the effects of large-scale public preschool in Boston on college-going, college preparation, standardized test scores, and behavioral outcomes.

The High/Scope Perry Preschool Study Through Age 40

The High/Scope Perry Preschool study is a scientific experiment that has identified both the short- and long-term effects of a highquality preschool education program for young children living in poverty. The findings of program effects through age 40 span the domains of education, economic performance, crime prevention, family relationships, and health. Key findings for education, economic performance, and crime prevention are summarized.

The Foundation for Child Development

The Foundation for Child Development is a national, private philanthropy that identifies needs and fill gaps by connecting research to changes that continuously improve policy and practice. They provide the evidence, analysis and recommendations needed to implement early childhood systems that work for all children.

New York State Education Data and Research Hub

As a pilot project for Cornell University's Repository for Engaging Data (R.E.D.), the Education Data Hub serves as a primary source of both pre-prepared tools and raw data for a wealth of factors surrounding public education in New York State. Data is collected in conjunction with Cornell's Program on Applied Demographics (PAD), the Community and Regional Development Institute (CARDI) and the New York State Rural Schools Association (RSA).

Key Terms

  • BEDS Day: The Basic Education Data System (BEDS) application collects data from schools in NYS. BEDS Day is the date when NYSED extracts student count information.
  • SIRS: The Student Information Repository System (SIRS) provides a single source of standardized individual student records for analysis at the local, regional, and State levels to improve student performance and to meet State and federal reporting and accountability requirements.
  • MVPS: The NYSED Business Portal includes a collection of web-based applications that schools use to submit data to the Department and to view submitted data. One such application is the Monitoring and Vendor Performance System (MVPS), which schools use to submit responses to surveys, reports, and annual applications. The State Education Department Delegated Account System (SEDDAS) is another application in the NYSED Business Portal that is designed to protect secure data from unauthorized access.
  • UPK: Universal Prekindergarten (UPK) refers to State and federally funded allocations that are governed by Education Law Section 3602-e.
  • SUFDPK: Statewide Universal Full Day Prekindergarten (SUFDPK) refers to State and federally funded grants that are governed by Education Law Section 3602-ee. SUFDPK differs from UPK in the following ways:
    • governed by a different section of Education Law
    • distributed via competitive grants
    • rates per pupil affected by teachers' certification
    • mandated monitoring by the Office of Early Learning
  • Wealth Ratio: (actual valuation of a school district ÷ total wealth pupil units) ÷ statewide average actual valuation per total wealth pupil unit.
    • This quotient is computed to 3 decimal places without rounding.
  • Unserved 4-Yr.-Old PreK Students (a.k.a., Proxy): 85% of  public and nonpublic kindergarten enrollment - 4410 enrollment
    • Ed. Law 3602-e(10)(b)(iv): "'Unserved four-year-old prekindergarten pupils' shall mean the product of eighty-five percent multiplied by the positive difference, if any, between the sum of the public school enrollment and the nonpublic school enrollment of children attending full day and half day kindergarten programs in the district in the year prior to the base year less the number of resident children who attain the age of four before December first of the base year, who were served during such school year by a prekindergarten program approved pursuant to section forty-four hundred ten of this chapter, where such services are provided for more than four hours per day;"
  • Calculated Selected Aid Per PreK Pupil: whichever of the following is greater:
    • 0.5 x the school district's selected foundation aid for the current year, or
    • 2006-2007 calculated aid per Pre-K pupil.