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THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK / ALBANY, NY 12234

Early Learning

鶹 Seal
P-12 Education
Office of Early Learning
89 Washington Avenue, EB 514 West Mezzanine, Albany, NY 12234
(518) 474-5807
To: 
District Superintendents
Superintendents in Districts receiving UPK and/or SUFDPK Funding Prekindergarten (PreK) Program District Contacts receiving UPK and/or SUFDPK Funding
Regional Information Centers and Level 1 Reporting Centers
From: 
Erik Sweet, Executive Director of the Office of Early Learning
Yufan Huang, Executive Coordinator of Information and Reporting Services
Rose M. LeRoy, Director of Information and Reporting Services
Subject: 
2023-2024 PreK Child Counts Reporting Deadline and Guidance on Reporting UPK and SUFDPK Children in SIRS
Date: 
September 21, 2023

Each spring, school districts are required to report their prekindergarten (PreK) child counts (enrollment numbers), regardless of the funding that supports their program. For the 2023-24 school year, all student counts must be inputted via the (SIRS) and the, as applicable, on or before the close of business on March 13, 2024.

For the 2023-2024 school year, PreK child counts must reflect the actual PreK enrollment as of March 13, 2024. Please note that this is a change from previous years. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, districts were temporarily given an opportunity to report enrollment through multiple pull dates and recoup funds for any child educated in their program. This provision of counting "ever-enrolled" has ended.

Districts with State and Federal Allocations (applicable project codes 0409 and 5870)

Student enrollment counts must be entered in the (SIRS). SIRS currently includes two Pre-K program codes – 902 for Universal Pre-K and 990 for “Other” Pre-K. Please follow the instructions in the chart at the end of this document for reporting prekindergarten students in SIRS. Failure to code children appropriately may result in a reduction in the amount that a district can be reimbursed for the prekindergarten services it provides during the 2023-2024 school year. If you have questions, please reach out to your OEL Liaison or OEL@nysed.gov with the subject line 2023-24 UPK Child Counts.

Districts with SUFDPK Grant Awards (applicable project codes 0545, 5875, 0546)

SIRS does not provide a distinct student code for children funded through the SUFDPK grant, therefore PreK enrollment for districts with SUFDPK funding will utilize the . Districts will receive an automated email in February 2024 to complete the 2023-2024 SUFDPK Child Counts Survey. In this survey, districts will specify the number of children enrolled half-day, full-day, and by provider type (district, Head Start, day care center, etc.).

NOTE: If a school district utilizes both UPK and SUFDPK funds, it will need to record enrollment using each of the methods indicated above.

If you have questions, please reach out to your OEL Liaison or OEL@nysed.gov with subject line 2023-24 UPK Child Counts.

It is extremely important to ensure accurate and complete data are reported, as errors in coding may result in a reduction in the district’s reimbursement amount for the provision of 2023-2024 prekindergarten services. To ensure accuracy of reporting, districts will be contacted by the Office of Early Learning when/if coding errors are found. The district will then need to contact their Regional Information Center (RIC) or Level 1 operator to fix. The last day to fix any coding errors for the 2023-24 school year will be June 7, 2024.

Questions regarding how to code students should be directed first to a district’s local Regional Information Center (RIC) or Level 1 operator. A list of RIC and Big 5 City District Contacts can be accessed at . Questions about reporting data in SIRS can be directed to the Office of Information and Reporting Services at datasupport@nysed.gov.

UPK and SUFDPK Student Coding in SIRS
Description

Grade Level andDay Length

PKF = PreK Full-Day

PKH = PreK Half-Day

PreK Program Code UPK Provider (Setting) Codes

1.) Any child whose PreK placement is funded solely by the allocational Universal PreK (UPK) grant.

Associated Funding Project Codes for Districts:

• 0409-24-XXXX

• 5870-24-XXXX

PKF or PKH, whichever is appropriate

902

(Universal PreK)

Required

Please refer to the UPK Provider (Setting) Codes table and assign ONE code.

2.) Child whose half-day UPK placement has been converted to full-day using the Statewide Universal Full-day Prekindergarten grant (SUFDPK).

For example, a child whose placement is funded for the first half-day by the allocational UPK grant and the second half of the day by the SUFDPK grant.

Associated Funding Project Codes for Districts:

• 0409-24-XXXX

• 0545-24-XXXX

• 0546-24-XXXX

PKF

902

(Universal PreK)

Required

Please refer to the UPK Provider (Setting) Codes table and assign ONE code.

3.) New full-day placements funded by the SUFDPK grant.

Associated Project Codes for Districts:

• 0545-24-XXXX

• 0546-24-XXXX

• 5875-24-XXXX

PKF

990

("Other " PreK)

Not required

4.) Any child identified as Non-resident and/or Other Age.

No Associated Project Codes

• Districts do not receive UPK or SUFDPK funding for Non-resident or Other Age students

PKF or PKH, whichever is appropriate

902

(Universal PreK)

Required

Please refer to the UPK Provider (Setting) Codes table and assign ONE code.

UPK Provider (Setting) Codes
Codes UPK Provider (Setting) Description
1309 District Operated
1320 Daycare Center
1331 Head Start
1342 Family or Group Day Care
1353 Nursery School
1364 BOCES
1375 Special Ed/4410 Preschool
1386 Nonpublic School
1397 Museum
1408 Library
1419 Other

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