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Universal pre-K comes to every Chester family

A group of young students, each holding a colorful drawing of the Earth, stand in a classroom setting with a large projection screen displaying an image of the planet in the background.

For the first time, all eligible Chester Union Free School District students who want a Universal Pre-K spot have one.

The 2026-27 school year marks a milestone for Chester Elementary: the UPK program has doubled in size, growing from one classroom to two, each serving 18 students for a total of 36 on-site seats. But the expansion doesn't stop there.

Thanks to a new partnership with On My Way, a pre-K program located at 12 Riverside Drive in Middletown, every student who didn't land one of those 36 spots was still guaranteed a quality placement. The waitlist – a frustrating reality for Chester families in years past – is effectively gone.

Superintendent of Schools Catherine O'Hara said, “Now, we offer UPK to every eligible student for the first time in our history. The state funding and district investment make this possible.”

That investment is real. The expansion is funded through a combination of increased state UPK funding – approximately $10,000 per student – and direct district support through the 2026-27 budget.

Two young girls, one wearing a red shirt and the other a white shirt, are sitting on the floor and playing with wooden building blocks in a classroom setting with colorful shelves and furniture in the background.

That budget commitment covers the new classroom, a newly created teaching position with early childhood certification, and an additional instructional aide. It also covers classroom outfitting, transportation, and the learning center materials that make a pre-K classroom what it needs to be.

Best of all, the program is completely free for Chester families. It runs five days a week, Monday through Friday, following the same 180-day calendar as the rest of the district, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.

Transportation is provided for all students, though families are welcome to drop off and pick up their children if they prefer. And once a child completes UPK, the transition to kindergarten is seamless – current UPK students are automatically enrolled for the following year.

This year, 43 students registered for the lottery – the most the program has ever seen. The lottery was conducted transparently, with families assigned a number and a live-streamed ball roller used to make the draws. The first 36 numbers pulled were offered placements at Chester Elementary. The remaining students were offered placement with On My Way. The registration order didn't affect anyone's chances, and every family walked away knowing their child had a spot somewhere.

Following a comprehensive district RFP process, Chester Elementary School Principal Mary Kate Boesch and Rachel Loftus, Assistant Superintendent of Pupil Personnel Services & Human Resources, conducted on-site visits as part of the selection. The district reviewed proposals from three programs and spent a full day visiting each site before selecting On My Way Early Learning Center as its partnering agency. On My Way also partners with the Goshen School District, further demonstrating its experience in delivering high-quality early childhood programming “It's a really beautiful pre-K program,” said Ms. Boesch. “We're not just outsourcing students — we're functioning as true collaborating agencies.”

Two young children, a boy and a girl, are playing with colorful Lego blocks on a red and yellow mat in what appears to be a classroom or daycare setting. The background includes shelves and other toys, suggesting an educational or play-based environment.

That collaboration produces aligned curricula, inter-site teacher visits, and a consistent educational experience, whether a child is at Chester or across town. Both sites follow New York State Pre-K Learning Standards, and the RFP for the off-site partner required alignment across instruction, health and safety, staff credentialing, and family communication. The result: every child achieves the same high-quality early learning outcomes, regardless of location.

And that early learning matters – a lot. Pre-K classrooms aren't just smaller versions of kindergarten. They're built around play-based, hands-on learning that develops literacy, early math and science skills, and the social-emotional building blocks kids need to thrive.

Ms. Boesch has seen the difference firsthand. “There's a stark difference in kindergarten readiness between children who had pre-K experience and those who didn't,” she said. “Getting more of our 4-year-olds into a program means our teachers have a full year to understand their needs before they walk through the kindergarten door.”

That pipeline matters deeply to the district's broader mission. Chester UFSD’s guiding mission – student-centered, future-focused, team-driven – starts well before a child ever enters kindergarten. Research consistently shows that early childhood education produces lasting gains in academic achievement, social development, and long-term success. By expanding access to UPK, Chester is investing in those outcomes at the earliest possible stage. Ms. O'Hara sees the program as a direct expression of that commitment: ensuring that every child in the community, regardless of circumstance, has the same strong start.

Equity is a big part of that picture. In years past, families without one of the limited UPK seats had to go without or seek out private options. The new model changes that. Now, whether a child is placed at Chester Elementary or with On My Way, they're entering a standards-aligned, professionally staffed pre-K program. As a result, all children achieve the same level of kindergarten readiness, leading to stronger student preparedness and greater community benefits.

At Chester Elementary, the layout is changing. Two new pre-K classrooms will be side-by-side in a dedicated suite near the makerspace. This setup allows for shared outdoor recess and synchronized schedules. The existing pre-K teacher, Jennifer Cangialosi, will now have a genuine team and a planning partner – something that wasn't possible in the single-classroom model.

Two young girls are sitting on the floor of a classroom, playing with a colorful, transparent building block toy. The background shows various educational materials and toys, indicating this is likely a preschool or elementary school setting.

“This expansion reflects an exciting step forward in supporting learning opportunities for our youngest learners and strengthening early academic and social foundations,” said Ms. O’Hara. “Research consistently demonstrates that high-quality Pre-K experiences positively impact student readiness, academic growth, and long-term success in later grades, making this an important investment in student achievement and future outcomes.”

For years, a spot in Chester’s pre-K program was never guaranteed. Starting this September, it is. That guarantee is more than a logistical achievement – it’s what student-centered, future-focused education looks like in practice. Chester’s vision starts here, with every child getting the same strong start.