How to Get a Spot in Pre-K for This Year!
The DOE has left 6000 Pre-K spots vacant this school year and is now scrambling to fill them. With a deadline of October 31st, the city is urging parents to apply for these free public Pre-K spots still available at some of NYC's top public schools. We've got the inside scoop on what's going on and how to get one of these free Pre-K spots.
Here's the bad news: Many of the spots at the most desirable schools are for half-day pre-k programs, which means you need to have some other child-care for the rest of the day.
Here's the good news:
There are lots of full day programs with spots available too.
There are spots at some of NYC's most desirable public elementary schools, like PS 3 and PS 40 in coveted District 2 and many others all over New York.
Nabbing a spot in, even a half-day pre-k program, means you've got a spot for K. So if you don't live in the zone or district for a good school, but can grab one of these pre-K spots, you are in for elementary.
It's free Pre-K. Even half a day, five days a week is more than you get at a lot of private pre-K programs.
How do you get one of these spots? Go to the DOE site for the lists of schools with available pre-k seats for 2008-2009 school year and look for the schools near you. When you find the school you want to register for, just show up with the appropriate documentation as listed on the DOE site to register. I don't know yet if it is first come first served or if they are taking applications and will prioritize for kids in the zone and district. I will post that info when I get a response from the DOE. But you have nothing to lose, if I had a 4 year old I'd be running out to register right now.
Don't know what schools are near you? Look at the DOE district map to determine the districts closest to you.
Does this debacle mean that the new centralized pre-K admissions system is tragically flawed...uh, no comment, but can't wait till they roll it out to Kindergarten next year.
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"Nabbing a spot in, even a
"Nabbing a spot in, even a half-day pre-k program, means you've got a spot for K. So if you don't live in the zone or district for a good school, but can grab one of these pre-K spots, you are in for elementary."
Can you clarify this? I thought the policy was that since there are fewer pre-K spots than K, that wherever you got into for pre-K did NOT guarantee you a spot at that school for K, even if it's your own zoned school, and you have to apply all over again the following year.
I am not an authority and
I am not an authority and all I can tell you is my experience and what I have read and heard as a very involved public school parent for 6 years, but the law is that your zoned school MUST give you a spot. The only time they can reject you is if they are so over-crowded that they have reached the legal limits of students the school can hold.
I have never heard of a public elementary school not admitting their pre-K students into the K, even if they don't live in the zone. Once you are in, you are in and so are your siblings. In fact, even for Middle School, if you have gone to a District 2 elementary school, you can apply to District 2 Middle Schools, whether you live in District 2 or not. This may not be the "official" policy,, but this is the policy that is followed (although I have heard that the DOE would love to change this, but they are afraid of the parent backlash if they did. )
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